


Putting Out Fire

by Hermaline75



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Cat Loki, Eventual Smut, Lokitty, M/M, Masturbation, Nipple Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phone Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 11:32:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 22,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4875187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermaline75/pseuds/Hermaline75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life as a shifter has many problems. Like fires. And being adopted by a fire fighter, your ideal man, who unfortunately believes that you're an ordinary cat...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [msMynx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/msMynx/gifts), [needleyecandy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/gifts).
  * Inspired by [What Happened After The Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4739624) by [needleyecandy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/pseuds/needleyecandy). 



> So this comes from me misunderstanding the summary of needleyecandy's What Happened After The Fire.
> 
> This will update erratically. I'm working on a couple of other things, but this bunny refused to go away. I have no idea where this is going. Let's find out together.
> 
> Title comes from the David Bowie song 'Cat People (Putting Out Fire)' because sometimes the universe just aligns really well. It's a great Loki song. It's about green eyes and red eyes and exacerbating your problems, it's Loki all over. Here, listen to the ridiculously over-produced album version: [I love it so much.](http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=n4xpdaIZyzs)

It's not easy to be sometimes a cat and sometimes a human. Sometimes people will insist on petting you, on trying to figure out where you lived, who 'owned' you. It had gotten so bad in the past decade that he'd bought a collar so well-meaning people would stop trying to catch him.

Of course, sometimes you might try to reveal your secret to a special person and they might decide that you are clearly a demon and try to burn you to death.

It was just typical of his luck really.

Their affair hadn't exactly started well. None of them did. He wasn't on the grid. He couldn't get work or money very easily. So he mooched and relied on others, went from warm bed to soft cushion taking what he could along the way. Some people were really nice, probably loved him, but he always ended up moving on. A real life wasn't for him. It was nice to be a pet sometimes, whether cat or human, but he would always long for freedom. It was just how he was. Moving on, always moving on. Passing his collar off as fashion, as irony, as kink.

Stupidly, he'd come to believe Svaldifari was different. A fellow outsider, a believer in mysticism and magic, of crystals and incense and chalk circles. Nothing that someone who could shift between human and cat form had any right to mock or question. He made jewellery and played music and scraped together a living. Easily seduced. Together, they might have been happy.

But no. He'd decided to be honest and reveal his secret. And now here he was, tied to a chair, still woozy from the cocktail of drugs that had been used to subdue him for exorcism, looking vaguely at the pile of burning papers and fabric scraps.

Funny how imminent horrible death sharpened the mind.

It was not a nice building. It wouldn't be missed, was probably marked for demolition anyway. It was lucky for him that Svaldifari was also pretty dumb and didn't think to use any kind of fuel or accelerant except what was in the room. That would give him more time to get out.

Escaping the bonds was easy. His wrists as a human were much bigger than his cat legs. Freeing himself from his clothes was a little harder. Not that they even fitted properly. He was glad to be rid of them really.

And then there was the fact that he was now in a burning room.

Keeping close to the floor, he tried to negotiate his way out. The building's fire alarm was ringing loudly, the near-useless sprinkler system spitting a little water down, turning to steam almost instantly. He managed to get close enough to the door to shift back to a more useful shape, one with opposable thumbs.

The door was locked. Svaldifari must have had a key.

"Shit," he hissed, starting to cough. "Shit, shit..."

The windows had long ago been painted shut, and he was several floors up anyway. Not even cats could survive that drop. He was trapped. Doomed to burn. It was all going up so fast...

Sirens wailed outside and he dropped back to cat form, close to the ground, the better to avoid the worst of the smoke. Maybe he could hold out. Maybe they'd find him.

The heat began to become truly unbearable. He felt like his very bones were going to melt, lying on the floor flat out. But maybe it was better this way. Maybe this was always how it was going to end, one day.

He heard his saviours coming, the thunder of their feet, calling out. He yowled as best he could, the disgusting air burning his lungs, the heat making him close to unconsciousness.

The door exploded inwards in a shower of splinters, a hulking figure in breathing apparatus brandishing an axe entering the room. An angel, a bulky angel, stepping through the flames to pick him up. If he'd wanted to run, he couldn't have.

Before he knew it, he was outside, a whirl of uniformed people rushing here and there. It seemed to be under control though. His lungs ached, and trying to gasp for breath hurt. A tiny tube was fixed to his mouth, probably oxygen, trying to revive his limp body. He couldn't struggle anyway, and he knew it was help. They were trying to save him.

And then the fire fighter took off his helmet.

Kind blue eyes, blonde hair pulled back into a bun, an air of concern. Ooh. An angel indeed, a delicious angel.

"Come on, little guy," he murmured. "Come on, be alright, please..."

Oh, he wanted to live for this one. He wanted to live _with_ this one. He dug in his claws, knowing it wouldn't have any effect on the thick, fire-proof fabric, but he was determined not to be separated from the one who'd saved him just yet. Maybe not for a while.

He let out the tiniest, most pitiful mewl. _Aren't I adorable? You should keep me._

The man smiled, pleased to see signs of life. It was like the sun emerging from behind a cloud.

"Hey, Sif?" he said. "Can you take off my glove? I want to pet him properly."

_Please, please pet me._

Another figure approached, tugging off one of his thick gauntlets before pulling off her own protection.

"Found a new friend?" she asked.

"Seems so. I think he likes me."

The woman smiled wryly, like this happened all the time. No doubt it did. Who could be rescues by this Adonis and not be overwhelmed?

"Well, try not to get attached. Look, he has a collar. Someone owns him."

She reached out, twisting the tag so she could read it.

"Oh, my God. That's hilarious."

"What is?"

The man's hand felt delicious on his fur. He never wanted this to end.

"Its name is Loki."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Thor and Loki. I take it back. This is fate. Let's hope no-one claims him. You can't let this one get away, not when the universe is telling you to adopt him."

_Listen to her. Take me home._

Thor chuckled, a warm, wonderful sound.

"I'll take him to the vet's to be checked out, make sure he's properly OK. But you know me. I'm famously unreliable. I can't look after an animal. He's probably microchipped. Some little girl or boy or old lady will be glad to have him back safe."

Sif hummed.

"Yeah, that's probably best," she said. "Though I don't think you're going to be able to get rid of him that easily. Look at those giant eyes. He's in love already."

Loki snuggled into Thor's chest. Yes, he'd do for a while at least. Whether he liked it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I said it wouldn't update so soon, but then you were so excited and so I was excited and then there were more chapters...

Ugh, vets...

It had to be worse for real cats, ones who didn't know what was going on. Getting to ride on Thor's lap while Sif drove them to the animal hospital and knowing that he was going to get help with his lungs was not helping with the worry in his stomach.

The vet was a very young woman, almost too young he felt, but she had gentle hands so he let her touch him and weigh him and all the rest of it. The emergency care at the scene had probably saved his life. Now he just had to be taken care of until he was well. And then hopefully taken care of some more.

"He's so calm," she said. "What's your secret?"

"Oh, he's... He's not mine."

 _Not yet..._ Loki thought.

"Well, he likes you. And other than his lungs, he's a very healthy boy. Good weight, bright eyes, good condition. I'll just check if he's chipped..."

Of course he wasn't. The second he'd realised they were going to put a tracker on him, Loki had abandoned his most recent family. Which was a shame. They'd fed him salmon. God, he missed salmon.

"Nope. Strange. It looks like someone loves him. I'm amazed that they would leave him without one. You'd think they'd want him back."

If he could, he'd have laughed at that. But instead, he yelped as she checked something else.

"Huh... That's weird. There's a scar here, but his testicles are still intact. Like someone gave him a little cat vasectomy. Still, he's sterile then. No pitter-patter of tiny paws to worry about."

Vets always reacted like this. He'd had it done as a human once it became obvious that any run-in with the vet would lead to losing two rather sensitive parts of his anatomy. That in itself would be fine if it wasn't for the fact he would need testosterone replacement for the rest of his life, which wasn't exactly easy to come by for an anonymous cat person. One little scar and he could avoid both unexpected parenthood and unwanted operations. And he didn't even sleep with cats anyway. It felt wrong somehow, being so much more advanced than them.

Of course, he was more advanced than most humans too, but at least they could actually provide things like shelter and food and conversation about things other than food.

"All in all, apart from the obvious, he's fine. So are you going to be looking after him?"

_Yes._

"No," Thor said. "No, I don't think so."

She seemed surprised, hands running gently down Loki's back.

"Well, hopefully someone will come and claim him. But he really seems to like you."

As if it was his cue, Loki walked determinedly towards Thor, shoving his head beneath his hands and purring loudly. _Yes, I like him. Make him take me._

"I'm sorry," Thor said. "But you need to stay here now."

He mewled pitifully, trying to climb up Thor's arm, clinging on as he was gently peeled off and held firmly by the vet.

"OK," she said. "You can check on him later in the week, if you want."

She waved one of Loki's paws in a parody of saying goodbye. He wanted to scratch her eyes out.

He was put in some kind of high-oxygen room to help his breathing and petted and fussed over by all the nurses. They were already talking about adopting him, but he didn't want any of them to take him home. He wanted to go home with Thor.

At least the food was good. At least there were soft blankets and belly rubs. This was a very nice experience. But being fussed and rubbed by Thor would be better. Those nice, big hands. Mmm, yes. Nice blunt nails for ear scratches. Broad lap to lay on. No expectation of how cats might behave.

He was perfect and Loki was going to have him.

He let the week elapse, just in case, but then it was clear that he was going to have to find Thor himself.

Five days later, he made his escape. They took him out of his cage for recuperative exercise and it was only too easy to savage the hands holding him and make a break for it, diving for an open window and fleeing down the street. Fire fighters. How hard could they be to find?

He walked for hours, not daring to change form. He'd be naked for a start. What he needed was a map.

Tourists love cute animals. He approached a couple on a bench, leaping up to sit with them and peruse their map as they laughed, helpfully joking and pointing out their current location. A few courtesy purrs and he leapt away, sure of where he was going now.

It was almost dark by the time he got there, the heavy doors that concealed the engines closed. He found the front door and sat outside it, meowing hopefully at everyone who passed in or out.

"Sorry, kitty," one of the men said. "We only deal with your type in trees."

It was twenty minutes before Sif came out, laughing when he wound himself in and out of her legs. He was very smug when she picked him up and carried him inside. Humans. So predictable, so easy to manipulate.

"Thor!" she called. "Guess who's here? Seems a little friend of yours wants to say thank you."

Thor stared at him in disbelief, petting him almost automatically when he was placed in his lap. Mmm, such warm hands.

"How did he even get here?"

"I don't know. He could probably smell you. He's decided you're his territory. He'll probably follow you home."

"But he's not mine!"

"Well, apparently he thinks that you're his."

Loki looked at her, trying to convey how stupid a sentence that had been.

_Not just think - I know he's mine. Or will be, anyway._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about how animals (or humans) are treated for smoke inhalation.
> 
> Also I read so much stuff about orchidectomy (because Lokitty would have been 'fixed' right?) but eventually realised it would just be impractical. Where would an off-grid cat person get HRT? That's just unrealistic...


	3. Chapter 3

Sometimes clinging is the only option.

Careful not to snag any skin, Loki attached himself firmly to Thor's clothing and screamed blue murder if anyone tried to remove him.

"But I know nothing about cats," Thor was protesting. "I couldn't take care of him properly."

"Oh, cats are easy," one of the other fire fighters said. "They're so independent."

"Is that code for arrogant or something?"

"Seriously, they're great. You don't have to worry about walks or anything. They get on with their own business most of the time. Just feed it, play with it, clean out the litter tray..."

Thor groaned.

"It's not hard. You just throw it all out in one go. Way better than what you have to do for dogs. That's really gross."

"Come on, Thor," Sif said. "Give it a try for a few days. Look at his little face. How can you say no to that?"

And what a great opening that was for him to gaze up at Thor adoringly. _Take me home. I want to live with you._

He sighed, the action making Loki rise and fall. _Ooh. That was nice, do it again..._

"What do they eat? And... How much do they eat? And how do you... de-flea them? And claws, what about them? Can he even live in my flat? Don't they need to go outside?"

Sif was grinning now.

"Aren't you off-duty now? We can go to the pet shop and get you everything you need. Little Mr Clingy here can even come in and help pick. They'll tell you everything you need to know."

He loved this woman. _Please keep fighting my corner. You're putting me right back on course for a life of warm petting and salmon._

About an hour of being awkwardly carried around on Thor's chest later, he was jumping down to explore his new home. It wasn't the biggest place he'd ever lived, but it wasn't the smallest either.

"Thor, when's the last time you cleaned? Don't you own a Hoover?"

"I'm a single fire fighter, cut me a break. It's not that bad."

He was laying out their purchases - new litter tray and litter, food, two plastic bowls, little mat for them, cat toys... Everything necessary. Loki was less pleased about the cat bed though and had absolutely no intention of sleeping in it.

He purred while Sif gave him a goodbye stroke - she deserved it for sealing the deal - and let a wave of happiness roll through him. Yes, this was going to be wonderful. No doubt he'd have Thor wrapped around his little toe soon enough.

Thor chattered awkwardly at him while forking out food, announcing that he was going to take a shower, then shaking his head and mumbling about how stupid it was to talk to cats.

With the water running, Loki took the opportunity to change and have a proper look around, carrying the bowl of food with him. Chasing down fire fighters was hungry work.

Photos were his first point of call. There was one of an older couple, presumably his parents. One of him with a younger man. Brother? Partner? It was hard to say. His books were mostly biographies of sportspeople and adventurers, not much fiction. A wide range of DVDs and blurays. Lots of exercise equipment...

Well, that made sense. He was a fire fighter. He had to be fit. Bodies like the one he suspected hid beneath Thor's clothes didn't just happen ny accident after all.

The water shut off and Loki hurried back to the kitchen, like he'd never left. Before long, Thor emerged, toweling his hair and completely naked.

Loki felt his jaw drop.

"Mrow?"

Thor turned, jumping slightly before covering his crotch, like he was embarrassed.

"Probably shouldn't have swinging things around you, huh?" he said. "Not a cat toy. Not for cats."

Loki narrowed his eyes. Not for cats, indeed? That cock he'd just seen, attached to that body, that he'd wanted immediately, not for cats?

Well, fair enough. They were different species after all. He would be worried if it was any other way.

No. Not for cats.

Now if only he could figure out a way to make sure it was definitely for Lokis.


	4. Chapter 4

Perhaps he ought to have made the transition from not having a pet to having a pet easy on Thor. Perhaps he ought to have given him a few days to get used to the idea before becoming the demanding little thing he deserved to be.

But where would be the fun in that?

Thor tried valiantly to make him sleep in the cat bed, making it as comfortable for him as possible before leaving the room. Loki silently followed him, leaping up onto what would surely soon be his rightful place.

"No," Thor said firmly, picking him up and carrying him back despite the protesting sounds he was making.

He closed the door to the bedroom, the click signifying that it couldn't simply be pushed open now.

After about twenty minutes of prowling back and forth outside, Loki shifted, just for a second to operate the door handle quietly before dropping back down, slipping in and up onto the empty half of the bed.

Nice, firm mattress. Soft blankets. Warm Thor. This was much better than any shop-bought piece of fluff. He curled himself up into a ball and fell asleep to the sound of Thor's breathing.

After three days of this routine, Thor gave up and returned the cat bed to the pet shop.

It seemed that he worked on some kind of rotation pattern - a few weeks of day shifts, a few weeks of night shifts. It wasn't too difficult for Loki to move his sleep schedule to match. For one thing, if he wanted to lie in the sun sleeping all day, he could.

And when Thor wasn't around, he could switch to human and do human things like rifle through drawers and drink milk from the fridge and watch television and use Thor's exercise stuff and read. It seemed there was some kind of police investigation going on into the burning of the building Thor had found him in. Good. He hoped they caught Svaldifari and locked him up.

And when Thor was home...

"Mrow?"

He'd evidently been sleeping when Thor had got back and found him panting, doing press-ups in the living room.

"Hey, little guy."

It was a stupid epithet, but he found he quite liked it coming from Thor.

He also liked this sight very much, the strain of Thor's muscles, the careful, measured way he lowered himself and pushed back up. Mmm.

He leapt onto Thor's back to enjoy it properly, getting a chuckle in response. He liked watching his back muscles move and flex from this angle. Oh, there was no way he was letting this one go without a taste if he could help it.

The only question was how to go about that. He'd have to stage some kind of meeting between Thor and his human side. But then again, he'd need clothes for that. And money probably. And wouldn't Thor notice that his cat was never around when his new friend was? And if he left the flat, he'd have to get back in... It was a conundrum.

Really, in the best of all worlds, he wanted a romantic and sexual relationship while also being allowed to remain feline whenever he chose. Like when he wanted to lie in Thor's lap and mew for belly rubs. Like right now as Thor carefully shooed him off and rolled over into a sitting position.

He'd been so right about this. Thor gave the best ones on the planet, reducing him to a wriggling pile of happiness. Maybe this would be alright after all. It was almost as good as sex, he told himself. He could sacrifice a chance of a human relationship to keep this good thing going, surely.

Or so he thought, before he woke up to find Thor in a compromising position.

It was a Wednesday morning and he woke to a grunt. Eyes flicking open, it took him a moment to realise what he was seeing. And then he stared.

The blankets got in the way, but there was no mistaking those movements. Thor's eyes were closed, face a little flushed, jaw tense. Loki dared to creep closer, nose twitching at the smell of arousal pouring off him.

What was he thinking of? A beautiful woman? A beautiful man? Some former partner or new attraction? Memories of a particularly enjoyable porn film?

By the sounds of things, he was getting close. His movements were speeding up, his mouth open and panting until finally he gasped, back arching slightly. Over far too soon for Loki's liking. If only he'd woken up sooner.

And then Thor opened his eyes, meeting his gaze.

"Jesus!" he cried, leaping out of bed, newly softened cock dripping just a little onto the floor.

Very, very carefully, Loki jumped down, claws clacking slightly on the wood, and licked a drop up, his eyes never moving from Thor's face.

"Oh, Loki, no. That's not for you. What, do you think it's milk or something? No... Shoo."

He dropped to a crouch, tissues from the dresser now in hand to wipe any evidence away. Loki was very tempted to nuzzle into him, but it would probably be taken the wrong way. Thor would probably be freaked out more than anything else that his cat seemed to have a taste for come.

Instead he wanted for Thor to leave for work and shifted, flopping onto the bed for his own turn, the room still smelling of pleasure, dreaming of what he knew he wanted now.


	5. Chapter 5

In a perfect world, Thor knows. In a perfect world, he doesn't mind having a boyfriend who sometimes prefers to eat under the table. His hands are gentle while Loki is a cat and firm when he's human, running over his flesh.

Sometimes Thor would nuzzle into him these days, kissing him just a little through his fur. He could only imagine what those lips would feel like pressed to his own, coaxing his mouth open, a slight scrape of beard. He'd be worshipped and adored. Just like he ought to be.

It quickly became a habit, jerking off when Thor wasn't around. His fantasies grew more and more involved and intense. Thor sucking his cock. Thor gently opening him up. Thor's fingers tangling in his hair and gripping tightly at his hips. Thor carefully entering him, so gentle and then just rough enough. Thor gasping in just the way he always did when he came, but this time with Loki's name on his lips...

He was almost certain that Thor didn't have a romantic partner. He wasn't ever visited by one and he didn't go out often enough to be dating. Friends came to see him sometimes, but that was all. It just confirmed Loki's suspicions that Thor was probably a little lonely. No wonder his workmates had been so determined that he had to get a cat. Someone to talk to and look after. It made sense. They worried about him.

Of course, maybe he wasn't interested in that kind of thing. That was a possibility that Loki entertained for a brief moment before throwing it out. No way of knowing unless he tried.

Sif's petting technique was not as good as Thor's, but it was good enough. Besides, he quite liked her for being an encouraging force and was therefore keen to show a little affection. She'd come round for drinks on one of their rare shared evenings off. Thor had pointedly hoovered before her arrival, even as Loki made a game of chasing and leaping on the vacuum, slowing him down considerably.

"How's he settling in?" she asked, scratching behind his ears.

"Yeah, really well. It's weird. I figured I should read up on cats, and there was all this stuff about isolation to let them get used to a new home. But he just walked in like he owned the place. Like he'd always lived here."

_Well, why not?_

"Weird where we found him, though," Sif said. "Have you seen the reports? Ours and the police's?"

Thor took a swig of his beer, shaking his head.

"Not only was the room locked and the fire deliberate, but there's clothing, like someone was sitting there. And ropes tied around a chair. It's like... It's almost like someone was tied up in there."

"There wasn't though," Thor said. "Just Loki. You think someone just vanished out of there? Just disintegrated? No. I bet they didn't even know the little guy was there when they set it alight. He was probably hiding."

"Still arson though. And think about it - why would you want to burn clothes and rope? It's evidence disposal. Could be sexual assault or murder. They're trying to trace anyone with keys to the building, figure out who did it and testing for DNA evidence in case of a victim."

Loki went tense at that. He tried so hard to stay under the radar. It would probably come to nothing. Still, it was worrying.

"Sif, come on, you know how little survives the foam hose. There'll be nothing useable. There never is. Unless there's bone or something, we've got nothing..."

Loki instantly relaxed, a puddle in Sif's lap.

"I just can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt this one," she said. "You want to assume that his being there was just a mistake, but I'm suspicious. Why lock the door if you didn't want someone getting out?"

This line of thought was not pleasant and Loki promptly leapt from Sif's lap to saunter over to Thor to demand more heavy-duty petting.

"Yeah, locks are the only things that stops him," Thor admitted. "Doesn't matter how firmly I close the doors, he gets anywhere he wants. He must know how to jump and use door handles or something."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. He sleeps in my bed. Refused the one we bought and got through every door I closed on him. He just wants to hang out with me, I suppose."

She giggled and responded in a sing-song way.

"Someone's in love..."

"He's a cat, Sif. He's just a cat."

Ooh, that was disrespectful. Thor yelped as Loki dug a claw into the meat of his palm. _Just a cat, indeed._

"See, now you've offended him. He's so smart."

Thor looked at her very seriously, sucking at the little wound.

"I... Yeah."

"What?"

"Sometimes, I... This is going to sound weird, but sometimes I feel like he knows what I'm saying. Like he understands me."

Raised eyebrows, and Sif leant forward.

"Does the wittle kitty understand the silly humans?" she asked. "Blink twice for yes."

Loki yawned and batted her playfully on the nose.

"Well, Thor, I think you're officially becoming one of _those_ cat owners who believe their cats talk to them."

"I'll remind you that I wouldn't be any kind of cat owner if you hadn't bullied me into it."

"Shut up, you love him."

Loki held his breath as Thor smiled crookedly.

"Yeah... I guess I do. Now that I'm used to him."

They both jumped and laughed when Loki suddenly started purring.


	6. Chapter 6

He couldn't think of a good way for his human side to meet Thor. But that didn't mean he was done wanting. Alas, after the first time he'd gotten into the bathroom to stare at him as he was showering, Thor had started locking the door. And it seemed that was where he jerked off these days, if the faint smell afterwards was anything to go by.

But he could still watch him get changed. Maybe it was a little creepy to hide under the bed, little eyes peering out, but what other choice did he have? Thor would chase him out if he was spotted.

This only really fueled his desire for more. He started lying over Thor's thigh, especially when he was wearing shorts and therefore had bare skin available, just to feel the pressure against him. Just to rub on a little bit, just a little. Thor seemed to know what he was doing though and sighed while peeling him off.

"Maybe I should get you neutered properly," he said after the sixth or seventh time. "If you're going to do things like this."

Loki stopped after that.

But he still wanted with the burning desire of someone used to getting what they wanted. It was time for a risk.

He waited until the middle of the night, until Thor had been sleeping for a long time, and shifted. He just wanted a little contact.

He carefully rolled closer, ready at any moment to change back. Closer. Closer still.

Holding his breath, he carefully pressed his lips to Thor's. Just the tiniest amount. Barely a brush, really.

Thor mumbled something, kissing back uncoordinatedly. Loki went with it, only for a little while, rejoicing in the sad moan that escaped Thor's throat as he drew back and shifted back to his cat form, snuggling closer.

His heart swelled the next morning as Thor awoke, rubbing at his lips for a second and groaning, his gait on the way to the bathroom unmistakably awkward thanks to the hardness between his legs.

Loki took the chance to indulge, diving beneath the covers to enjoy the residual heat from Thor's body. He even switched to stretch out properly, to roll around a little, swapping back as soon as he heard the water stop running.

He clung to the covers as Thor pulled them back, mewling unhappily. He wanted to stay in this happy warm place for a longer time.

Thor hissed at him, trying to scare him off.

"I just want to check for stains. Move. Shoo! Bad cat."

Loki leapt away, as if he'd never been clinging on at all. Stains? So not only had Thor responded to his kiss, but he'd perhaps had a wet dream from it? This got better and better.

Thor sighed heavily, mumbling something about being an adult, not a teenager. But he didn't find anything. Shame really.

That day, Loki came harder than he had in ages. He relived the night before, except that this time, Thor kissed back properly, waking up and pulling Loki on top of him, hands roaming over his skin, crying out his name as they rolled together, the perfect balance of too much and not enough.

He'd been wrong. He couldn't live like this. There had to be a way to get what he wanted. Maybe he could convince Thor it was a dream of some kind...

He tried, several times, but he didn't want to go too far and wake Thor properly. It was too risky. But every morning that he had Thor checking the sheets was a victory, one he would celebrate by lying smugly on the pillow while Thor grumbled in frustration.

"Typical," he said. "Just when you think you're over people, your brain gets invaded by pretty dark-haired teases."

He flopped the pillow back, half glaring at the world in general.

"I bet you don't have to put up with this shit, Loki," he said. "I bet all the dream lady cats are really passionate and bear a million kittens for you. But me, no, can't even get past snogging in my dreams..."

It was all Loki could do not to transform right then and there, lounge back and say "Take me, take me now."

Such a thing would not be practical. He'd checked and Thor had no lube in the house.

He planned out various schemes for Thor to meet the other him, none of them very feasible. Dreams of meeting him at speed dating, of showing up outside the door naked, anything, all of his fantasies were completely impossible.

In reality, it was an accident.

Thor was on nights and Loki was taking the rare opportunity to sleep in human form, wearing one of Thor's t-shirts for comfort, knowing that he would be awake long before his owner returned.

Except that Thor was sent home early with a twisted ankle having tripped on the station stairs and therefore arrived to find a stranger in his bed.

The first Loki knew of this was when a heavy weight landed on him, pinning him in place immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yesterday I pressed the wrong button and accidentally posted this early. It was deleted pretty much immediately.
> 
> YOU SAW NOTHING. THERE WAS NO ROUGH, UNEDITED CHAPTER POSTED.

His first instinct was to shift, but Thor was growling at him to stay still, so he obeyed.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you in my house? How did you even get in?"

Loki panted, his face smushed into the pillow. What else could he do? There was no way out.

"It's me," he said. "Thor, it's me. Look around my neck."

He felt Thor grip the collar roughly, a shocked noise when he realised what it was.

"That's my cat's. What have you done to him? Have you eaten my fucking cat?"

"I am your fucking cat!"

All the threat went out of Thor's voice, sounding almost afraid, worried about what he was hearing. Presumably he thought he was dealing with an unwell and possibly dangerous person.

"What did you do to my cat? I swear, if you've hurt him..."

Loki snarled.

"I'm touched by your concern, and if you get off me, I'll show you."

There was a pause while Thor considered this, finally shifting to his side of the bed. Loki rolled over and sat up, throwing the blanket aside and yanking off the shirt.

"Ready?" he asked.

Thor said nothing, just looking at him in disbelief, unsure of what was about to happen, poised ready to subdue him again in a second. Loki shivered a little beneath his gaze, closed his eyes and reached for the little switch inside his head. Fur grew instantly, his body shrinking, bones narrowing, ears changing position. He heard Thor gasp and looked at him again, finding a perfect expression of shock.

A tentative reach and Thor touched him, immediately drawing back.

"No," he said. "No fucking way. I'm dreaming. I've fallen and hit my head and this is some kind of coma hallucination or something. That's the only explanation. Cats do not turn into people. That's just not possible."

Loki rolled his eyes, switching back so they could talk.

"No," he said. "It's me. I swear it. Please don't burn me."

It came to him in a flash, exactly the thing that would appeal to Thor of all people. Oh, burning would be abhorrent to most, but Thor went into those places. He knew, in intense detail, exactly what happened to people killed by fire. Of all things likely to make him sympathetic, that was it.

"Burn you?" he asked shakily. "Why would I burn you?"

It wasn't hard to let some tears gather in his eyes. He was genuinely afraid. Afraid Thor would reject him.

"The last person who knew what I was tried to burn me."

He hugged his knees, making himself smaller. He could see the pity and horror in Thor's eyes as he made the connection.

"The clothes," he said. "The ropes. There was someone tied up in there."

Loki nodded, letting a tear fall and affecting a little shiver.

"Can I get back under the blanket please?"

The moment Thor gently pulled the covers back over him, he knew he was safe. Admittedly, Thor seemed to be having some kind of crisis, but maybe that was understandable.

"He thought I was... a demon. And so I had to burn."

"Slow down," Thor said. "What are you? Let's start there."

Loki sighed.

"I don't know and I don't want to know. I realised I could do it when I was about four. Turn into a little kitten, but only when I was alone. And... Well, I assumed it was normal and all the adults I mentioned it to thought it was just a kid's story. By the time I was six I realised that no-one else could and it wasn't until after puberty that I was able to shift with people around. Some kind of survival block or something. I never knew my parents, so I don't know if they could do it too. I was left on the hospital doorstep. Bounced from home to home. And knowing what I was, that I was so different, I decided to drop off the grid the second I was let out into the world. I lived as a cat for five years or more. Went from owner to owner. Sometimes lived as a human. But never both. If I'm ever discovered, they'll dissect me, I know it. Please don't tell anyone. I'll stay as your cat, I swear, I'll be your slave, I'll do anything you want. Just please let me stay."

Thor stared at him in increasing sadness. He was a good man. He would surely look after him.

"I... I can't..."

Loki launched himself at him, grabbing his hands.

"Please, Thor. You're the best person I've ever lived with. You're so kind and gentle. I'll change back and this can all be a dream."

"No," Thor said. "No, stay as you are. I just meant I can't handle this now. I need to sleep on it, that's all. I'll... I'll sleep on the couch."

"You don't have to. Please. Stay here. It's your bed."

OK, maybe he was a little more worried than he was trying to tell himself he was, but still, Thor was stiffly getting into bed, his injured leg clearly giving him some trouble. He was here. He wasn't immediately turning to violence.

And now he knew.

Once he was certain Thor was asleep, Loki shuffled backwards until he was within cuddle range.

When Thor unconsciously wrapped an arm around him, he thought his heart would burst out of his chest.

Dare he hope?

Could all his dreams come true?


	8. Chapter 8

There was something hard poking into his flesh, and Loki was in heaven. He was being held, nice and warm and safe. Everything he wanted.

He knew when Thor woke up because he moved back as though electrocuted.

"Sorry," he said. "God, I'm sorry..."

"I don't mind," Loki purred, rolling over.

Thor paused and laughed awkwardly.

"You're still here."

"I'm afraid I am. Has sleeping helped?"

Thor looked him over, what little of him was showing.

"Are you sure you're real? You... You look a lot like the man from my dreams."

"Well..." Loki said, a little guiltily. "You're just so handsome and kind and gentle that I wanted to kiss you. I want to kiss you right now."

Thor's eyes flicked down to his lips for a fraction of a second. He moved to get up, but groaned in pain when he tried to stand, his ankle still painful.

"No," Loki said. "You are staying in bed today. I'll get you some ice or something."

He dragged Thor back into bed, fluffing the pillows around him, and scurried to the kitchen to collect a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a towel.

Thor was staring, but trying to keep his eyes above the waist. 

"Can you...?"

Loki carefully elevated his foot, noting the bruising, and laying the peas on top.

"You want me to go cat?"

"No, I... I want you to put some clothes on."

He grinned. He couldn't help it.

"Seeing something... tempting?"

Thor looked away.

"You're my cat," he said in disbelief. "My cat. I can't... Please, put something on."

Loki obediently picked out some of Thor's clothes, even though they were far too big.

"Better?" he asked. "Of course, I will need to be dressed to go to the shop. I'll take your wallet and be back before you know it."

He left Thor spluttering as he skipped into the hall to find money and keys, tying a pair of Thor's shoes extra tight to make sure they stayed on. He hadn't been outside in such a long time. In fact...

He popped his head round the door.

"Where's the nearest shop?" 

"You really don't have to..."

"I do. It's alright for me to live on cat food, but I doubt you're eager to try it."

Thor blinked a few times.

"Head out, turn right and walk until you get to the big road. Then left and just go in a straight line. It's a Sainsburys. You'll see it. And take some bags with you. They're in..."

"The bottom drawer. I know. I live here after all."

He stopped in the stairwell to figure out his budget. Thor had a grand total of £13.27 in his wallet. Plenty. And the shop wasn't hard to find at all, a very small, local grocery.

Salmon. Yes. He was getting salmon, canned since it was cheaper. Thor always had rice or pasta in the cupboard to cook it with. Milk. After thinking about it, he made sure to get some vegetables as well, since Thor put so much store in them. Peppers, leeks, a big bag of salad. Yes, that would do nicely.

He was standing in line next to the mini-pharmacy section, little boxes of ibruprofen and paracetamol, when his eyes fell on some useful things to add to his basket.

He smiled brightly at the shop assistant, shaking out his bags as she scanned his condoms and lube. It was clear that Thor found him attractive. Once he got over this silly issue of his sometimes being a cat, he'd be on the road to orgasm-ville.

Mmm, what a place to live.

The assistant looked him up and down uncertainly, taking in his over-sized clothes and collar and the way he was carefully counting out his money. But he paid, so it was none of her business. He practically danced home.

"I'm back," he called, dumping the keys on the floor. "You want anything?"

"Uh..." Thor said. "Can you make me a tea please?"

"Of course. Milk and sugar-free sweetener, coming right up."

How could he not appreciate someone who already knew his tea preferences? Truly, Loki was a saint. Thor would have been mad to let him go.

He put the groceries away while the kettle boiled, carefully slipping his most important purchases into the pockets of these enormous jeans, so he could safely carry both a mug of tea and a glass of milk.

Alas, Thor still seemed decidedly unnerved by him. Not even tea seemed to settle him. And Loki gently placing down a handy pump bottle of lube and a box of condoms did not seem to help.

"Loki, listen, er... Don't feel like you have to pay your way here."

Once he'd stopped laughing - which took a while - he asked Thor what on earth he was talking about.

"Well... Looking after me like this."

"But you need looking after. And now that it won't freak you out, I can clean while you're at work, run errands. I'll be your perfect little helper. It's not paying my way, it's... being appreciative."

"But... But, er... But you've bought..."

He gestured helplessly at the nightstand.

"Oh," Loki said, like the thought had only just occurred to him. "You think that I think that if I sleep with you, you'll let me stay."

"And that's not it?"

"Not at all. I think that if I sleep with you it will feel really, really good and so I want that. And I tend to get what I want. I wanted to be adopted, I got adopted. I wanted to sleep in the bed, I sleep in the bed."

"You wanted to kiss me..."

Ooh, an invitation. Loki put his glass on the floor, tipping himself onto all fours and approaching, whining when Thor turned away.

"No," he said. "This is too weird. You're my pet, for God's sake."

"Not right now I'm not," Loki said, turning his head back with one finger. "Right now I'm the dark-haired tease from your dreams. And I'm all done teasing."

He leant forward, waiting for Thor to close the gap.


	9. Chapter 9

Loki whined as Thor shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't. This is just too weird, I can't. You're my cat. You sit on my back when I do press-ups and complain for petting. You... Oh, my God, you've seen me naked."

"To be fair, you've seen me naked too."

"You're a cat! You're supposed to be naked."

"I quite agree."

Thor stammered and protested as he started getting undressed again.

"You used to _watch..._ And I was so unnerved that I had to start jerking off in the shower. I knew that you were watching with purpose."

"Well, you did put on quite a show."

He couldn't fully understand why Thor had a problem with this. All the other humans he'd ever offered himself to had jumped at the opportunity. Then again, they hadn't been under the impression that he was an animal. That was presumably something of a stumbling block.

"Do you not like me?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Thor's face, eyes as big as they could go.

Thor sighed.

"I do like you, it's just... I need some time to adjust to this. This isn't something I know how to deal with. It's scary for me. Is that so hard to understand?"

Loki pouted.

"You're not going to throw me out?"

"No."

"And you're not angry?"

"I'm just surprised. I think that's understandable. I need to get used to this."

"Oh, and then we can fuck. OK."

Thor seemed to have found a serene place in his head just left of panic.

"You really don't let up, do you?"

"Persistence is key to achieving results."

Thor smiled, seemingly in spite of himself.

"OK..." he said.

Loki pounced, and was very surprised when Thor held him back.

"What are you doing?"

"What are YOU doing?!"

"You said OK!"

"Yes, but I meant OK as in 'OK, let's lay out some ground rules' not 'OK, climb aboard.'"

He gently but firmly pushed Loki back onto his side of the bed.

"Alright," Thor said, hands held up placatingly. "No sudden movements. Just... chill out. You can stay. There are no conditions on your stay as long as you don't... you know, cause trouble."

Careful not to startle his jumpy owner, Loki leant forward, until their noses were almost touching.

"Define trouble," he breathed.

Thor exhaled shakily.

"Obviously, no-one can know about you. You can go out as a human if you want to go shopping or anything, but we can't have Sif seeing you. Or my family. Not for a while anyway. So... when there are visitors, you're a cat. That's... That's rule one."

Loki shrugged his agreement. That seemed alright.

"Rule two... No strange cats. Or strange humans. Not unless I meet them first."

"That's unlikely to be a problem."

"OK. Great. Erm... No dead things."

OK. Now this was getting weird.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, cats... You know, they kill things and bring them home..."

"Oh, _presents._ No, I don't do that kind of thing. I might be sometimes a cat, but that doesn't mean I forget what you humans do and don't like. No problems there. Rule... four, are we at?"

"Rule four... Patience. Please be patient with me. I'm still not entirely convinced that you're real and not a coma dream."

Loki smiled brightly at him, reaching for his empty mug.

"Well, I'm going to get you more tea and make you a sandwich while you call in sick to work. You can't go into burning buildings on that ankle."

He felt the giant jeans slipping, hanging off his hips, and made no attempt to pull them up until he was out of the room. Thor's gaze was almost palpable.

Patience. It was a foreign concept. But maybe one worth exploring for the offered rewards.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a whole half day and Thor was still nervous. He'd even gone to sleep in the middle, which always made Loki feel better, but now he was limping out of the bedroom to check on dinner - which was going to be fine, by the way - and he was still all tight and worried around the face.

"Do you need any help? Do you... know what you're doing?"

"I am making fusili pasta with white sauce and salmon and leeks and peas, since I already had those out. I can cook, you know. I think food is one of the greatest available pleasures in life. Let me handle this and go sit down. It's nearly ready."

He had to admit that he was very pleased when Thor not only ate it, but asked for more. They were on the couch, Thor with his foot on the coffee table, Loki lounging sideways with his head in Thor's lap. And maybe he was gently moving a little further over...

"Stop it," Thor murmured.

"Stop what?"

"You're... You're trying to nuzzle me."

"I am not. If I was trying to nuzzle, you'd know about it. I'm just trying to get comfy."

He could practically feel that Thor didn't believe him, so grasped one of his hands to put it in his hair.

"Pet me?"

Thor sighed, but it was tinged with fondness as he began to play with Loki's hair. It was very pleasant indeed, even better than ear scratches.

"Thank you for dinner," Thor said eventually. "It was delicious."

"You're very welcome."

He was just starting to drift off when there was a rattle of keys in the lock. Loki's eyes flashed open in panic.

"Thor?" Sif called from the hall. "You awake?"

"Uh... Yeah, I'm in the living room."

"Don't get up. I went to the shop for you to get bread and stuff. I'll just put it away."

Loki was already hiding his empty bowl under the couch and getting out of his borrowed clothes, tossing them hastily around the room like a double-parked stripper. It would just look like stray laundry.

He was sitting in Thor's lap, a perfectly ordinary cat, when she opened the door.

"How's the invalid?" she asked.

"I was OK, but it got worse overnight, so I put some ice on it and now it feels better. You didn't have to shop for me. I can manage."

"Those stairs on that ankle? You'll fall and break your neck."

Loki made a small squeaking sound just at the thought of it. Sif was right. It wasn't safe for Thor. And then he might fall and die and Loki would be all alone and Thor-less. No! It couldn't be allowed to happen. Thor could not leave until he was healed.

"I just brought you three days' worth," she was saying. "Hopefully you'll be up and running again by then. It's mostly microwave stuff. I wasn't sure if you'd manage to cook..."

"Honestly, Sif, I'm fine. Thank you, but you really shouldn't have."

"It's no problem. You just concentrate on getting better. I know your little Nurse Loki will take care of you."

Loki smirked up at him, getting a little glare in response.

"Aren't you on nights? You'll be late."

"I know. Just wanted to check in, make sure everything was still fine. Call if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you. I really do appreciate it."

Loki waited until the door was definitely closed before shifting, hands landing on Thor's chest gently as he moved to straddle his thighs.

"So how come she has keys to your place?"

Thor raised his eyebrows, gaze flicking down just for a second.

"Are you... jealous?"

"Yes," Loki said simply. "You're not seeing her, so why?"

Thor laughed gently.

"No, I'm not. But we do a dangerous job. You need someone who can get in to bring you clothes or whatever in the event of injury. Imagine if this had been more serious and I'd gone to the hospital. Someone would have to come and feed you. Sif is that person. One of them."

That was a perfectly logical and sensible explanation. However, it was rather overshadowed by the fact that he was now human and nude and in Thor's lap and yet - the height of sadism - there were no hands on him. Not even at his waist. And Thor seemed unaffected!

"OK," Loki said, swaying his body forward a little, ensuring there was a little grinding.

And then there were hands, but moving him off.

"Just because you made me dinner, doesn't mean you're getting any," Thor said. "I can't just go from zero to sixty, not yet."

"Well, when?"

He knew he was whining, but he was impatient.

"I don't know. Maybe not for a while yet."

Loki rose up onto his knees again, deliberately displaying the curve of his spine and the firmness of his legs.

"Well... Not sixty then. Maybe... twenty miles per hour."

"What do you have in mind?"

It was a gentle kiss. A quick peck, really. But the second one lingered just a little. And then Thor started to kiss back, moving to meet Loki's efforts with his own, opening his mouth just a little, just enough, Loki gasping against his skin.

He was smiling in a faintly embarrassed way when they drew apart, one hand resting on Loki's waist, a warm, firm presence.

"Yeah," he said. "Twenty's plenty, for the moment."

It was a start. The rest would surely follow.


	11. Chapter 11

Thor was very open to cuddling, at least when he was asleep. It was like he'd waited his whole life to cuddle someone. It was still surprising though when Loki woke up and realised that Thor was also awake and had made no attempt to move away as he had on their first morning together.

"Hello."

"Hi."

Well, this was very nice, but Loki couldn't shake the feeling that Thor wanted to say something. He waited for it, maybe a few minutes of quiet, but then he spoke.

"The person who tried to burn you..."

Oh...

"What about him?"

"Well, are you just going to let him get away with it? Aren't you... angry? He tried to kill you."

"But he failed. And I've bounced to a much better situation. I'm happy now, so what's the point of dwelling? If they catch him, he'll just end up sectioned when he starts talking about cat people."

"What was his name?"

"Svaldifari. He was probably my longest-term thing. Three whole years."

For some reason, that made Thor grip him a little tighter. Maybe he felt bad that Loki had had such an unsettled life. Maybe he was worried that Loki would move on from him too.

"How's the ankle?"

"Can't tell at the moment. And I don't want to get up quite yet."

"Mmm... Me neither."

He carefully rolled over so he could lay his head on Thor's shoulder, using his flesh as a living pillow. They were actually about the same height, but there was something comforting about so much breadth.

"I think I'm in trouble," Thor murmured after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Because this is really nice."

"That's not trouble."

"I mean that I'm finding this too easy. You're my cat, I shouldn't adapt so quickly to you being a human with... You know. Urges and so on."

"You think it should be more difficult?"

"Should it not?"

"Well, who says? Whose experience are you drawing on? Your feelings, whatever they might be, are your own. I don't think you should worry about them being right or wrong."

Thor laughed, rubbing at his eyes.

"You're just saying that because you want me to like you. To like this. Not to worry about the fact that three days ago I was feeding you out of a can. I'm just worried that we'll go too fast. I barely know anything about you."

"You know more about me than anyone else ever has."

It didn't seem sad to him, but Thor took it that way, wrapping both arms more firmly around him.

"Well, fine," Loki said. "What else do you want to know?"

Thor shrugged.

"How old are you?"

"In human or cat years?"

He was joking, but he felt Thor go tense even as he giggled.

"Relax. I'm around thirty, I think."

"You think?"

"I don't exactly have to write the date very often. I don't even know which year it is. Terribly freeing. I mean, when that whole 2012 thing went down, I was ridiculously chill, because I didn't know something was meant to happen or what it was or anything. I slept right through. I'm not even sure when my birthday is. Cats generally aren't."

He wasn't sure why he was being so open. There was just something about Thor that made him very easy to talk to.

"Do you... Have you ever met anyone else like you? Who can do what you can?"

"No. But then again, I haven't really looked. I tried to find my mother once or twice, but I have nothing to go on. I was a little baby Doe. No records, no traces. It's alright though. I'm sure she was doing the only thing she could to make sure I made it. A lot of the other kids had it way worse than me."

Thor was softly stroking his back, a gentle, soothing motion. It really helped. Maybe Thor had magic fingers or something.

"Do you want to talk about your life? That sounds so serious. I just mean... It's going to help me get used to the idea if you're comfortable talking to me about the past and so on."

"What idea?"

He could practically feel the heat of Thor's blush.

"You know. Living with a pet who isn't really my pet anymore. Living with a cat that sometimes isn't a cat. And... the idea I might find that person... that cat person... quite attractive."

Loki yanked himself out of Thor's grasp, glaring down at him.

"'Quite attractive'?!" he stammered. "I've never been more insulted. 'Quite'?! I've seen the way you look at me."

If anything, Thor seemed amused.

"And how do I look at you?"

"You practically drool. You want me so badly you ache. If you weren't so hung up on getting to know me or whatever we could be sating that desire right now."

Clearly trying not to laugh, Thor tried to soothe him again, pulling him down gently to rest his on his shoulder once more.

"I'm sorry, kitten," he said, kissing the top of his head. "You're very attractive. Very, very attractive. I just need to sort my head out a bit, that's all. OK?"

Loki pouted, though his heart wasn't really in it.

"Kisses would make it OK."

He looked up hopefully, only to find Thor's lips already slightly parted, ready to meet his.


	12. Chapter 12

Thor 'sorting his head out' mostly seemed to involve trying to treat Loki as much like a human as possible. Which was fine. In the weeks after his ankle healed, Thor bought him clothes that would actually fit (and if they fit in a way that accentuated his best features, Loki was not complaining) and kept asking his opinion on everything. It was all very pleasant.

And infuriating.

Though he'd been born human and had lived as a human for a long time, the fact that part of his being was inextricably bound to being a cat was not something that was going to go away.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" Loki asked one day.

"What?"

"That I'm a cat sometimes."

Just to prove his point, he shifted, clothes falling limply where he'd been sitting, headbutting Thor's arm a little and clambering into his lap.

To his credit, Thor didn't remove him. He hesitantly reached out to run a hand down his back, making it arch.

"Not uncomfortable as such," Thor said, not meeting his gaze. "Not so strong as that. But it does worry me. I'm... I feel like I'm taking advantage. You're my pet. You rely on me."

Loki shifted back, thinking about it. He stood and started dressing again.

"So it's not because you think being with me is somehow bestiality or something?"

Thor made a strangled little noise.

"Oh..." Loki said, pausing halfway into his shirt. "That thought hadn't even occurred. Forget I said that."

"Well, it's... It's not like I find you attractive when you're a cat."

"No, I know. But you've been trying so hard to act like I'm never a cat. I was merely concerned that it was an issue and preventing the next step in our physical relationship."

Thor sighed.

"I know you want to. I want to too. I just need to figure out how to stop feeling weird about it. I mean, you literally have a collar round your neck."

Loki looked sideways at him.

"Some people like that kind of thing," he pointed out.

It got him thinking though.

Thor had had new keys cut for him, and was leaving cash out in a little wallet daily in case he wanted to go out anywhere, along with a small map of the area. What he needed was somewhere with computers and printers. While Thor was out at work, he decided to take a trip to the local library. It was starting to become a little chilly, but a quick rummage through Thor's wardrobe unearthed a scarf that he could wear, helpfully covering his collar as well.

He was getting the distinct feeling that Thor would prefer if he took it off, but that simply wasn't possible. It was his only real possession, his only form of identity. He'd tried removing it one day when Thor was out, but being without the familiar grounding presence of it, he'd felt nervous. Now that he was human a lot of the time, he did take it off to shower, but put it back on immediately afterwards.

The librarian smiled at him as he asked about the fees for a half hour of internet connection and some printing. Thanks to the shirt and blazer Thor had decided would suit him, he probably looked like a sophisticated young man about town. She pointed him to a quiet area of the computer cluster, taking the single pound cost and indicating the credit machine for the printers. Ten pence a sheet, so with 50p he'd have five full pages to use.

Ten minutes later, the librarian took a walk, circling behind him and letting out a little squeak of shock when she realised what was on his monitor.

Twenty minutes after entering, he left with his print-outs, smiling brightly at his new friend while she looked at him uncertainly.

It was obvious really. Thor wanted to pretend that Loki wasn't a pet because that was strange to him. However, since he was secret and an ordinary cat according to everyone else, Loki was always going to be his pet. That was just a fact. So he needed to make it normal.

Clearing space on the coffee table, he laid out his sheets of paper in all their kinky glory. Who knew? Maybe Thor would discover that he was more into this than he thought.

Time would tell.


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm home," Thor called, like there was any mistaking the sound of him opening the door.

"I'm doing the dishes."

Loki was trying to be helpful. Thor acted like he didn't want him to do housework, but he was always grateful for it. He could hear Thor moving around, changing into more comfortable clothes.

There was a pause in his footsteps when he went through to the living room though. Loki calmly rinsed another glass as he heard Thor taking a deep breath in the doorway.

"Is there any particular reason that there's porn all over the table?"

"It's not porn," Loki said, drying his hands.

"It looks like porn. It's all... ropes and ball gags and whips and stuff."

"It's information. For you to read. Ignore the pictures and focus on the words."

Thor looked deeply unsure.

"Look," Loki said. "We both know that we will fuck at some point, but when it happens - and it will - I want you to be comfortable. So I went to the library to print off some literature to give you something to think about."

"I'm really not into..."

"Just read it. Promise you will. Read it with an open mind while I cook. It's not what you think."

It had been a couple of weeks now and Thor had finally managed to convince him that they could eat something other than fish. He had thought this evening through though, flash-frying lamb chops to eat with the vegetables already roasting in the oven. It would take just enough time for Thor to read the five pages but not so long that he could start to overthink the suggestion.

When he carried plates for both of them through to the living room, he found Thor frowning faintly, eyes flicking back and forth over the last page.

"Dinner," Loki said brightly.

"Thank you," came the response.

Thor laid down the print-outs with a particularly nice image of a smiling young woman in collar and chain at the top. She was leaning into the gentle touch of her domme, gazing adoringly up at her, a jewelled set of false cat ears perched delicately in her hair, adorable soft cuffs on her wrists and ankles, spine delicately curved. Not quite a real cat person, but surely enough to provide inspiration.

"You really shouldn't spoil me like this," Thor said, still seeming awkward.

"Oh, I don't mind."

He was full of nervous energy, waiting for Thor to comment on the articles.

"So you, er... You want to... stay as my pet? Even when you're human. This... This 24/7 thing."

Loki swallowed a mouthful of parsnip.

"You're looking so serious. It doesn't have to be so very intense as some of those examples. It doesn't have to be so regimented. Just that... you look after me and I provide companionship and affection. We look after each other."

He watched as Thor considered this.

"Do you want to?" he asked. "Do you want to do... this? You're not doing it because you think it's what I want from you?"

Loki couldn't help laughing a little.

"Thor, I'm a cat. We're not exactly known for thinking of much other than our own desires. I want to live with you. I want to let you take care of me. In all ways."

Thor was nodding slowly. That was surely a positive sign. He was at least considering it.

"I don't want to leash you," he said. "Or to tie you up or anything. Or... hit you or be all controlling. I just don't think I could do that."

"I'm not asking you to," Loki said. "I'm not even asking to be your sub, not really. I'm asking to be your pet. Because I am. And I like it that way."

Thor looked at him with a certain degree of hunger in his gaze, like he'd made a decision and a positive one at that.

"OK," he said. "You win. But dinner first."

If Loki inhaled his food a little, it was only because of excitement. Which admittedly meant he then had to sit by as Thor ate at a far more normal pace. Positively slowly in fact. What a tease this man was...

He was practically vibrating when Thor put his cutlery down firmly and patted his lap in invitation, leaping up to lunge forward and straddle him, whining as Thor held him back from kissing.

"No. Undress first. I want to see all of you, kitten."

If Loki could have melted then and there, he would have, tackling his shirt buttons with shaking hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, how dare I stop there?  
> But I promise, no more stalling.  
> Tomorrow. Tomorrow. It's only a day away, etc. etc.


	14. Chapter 14

Loki panted helplessly. Thor was finally touching him properly, exploring his body with such broad hands, and kissing him so passionately. It was incredible, but he was not yet satisfied.

Because Thor was still dressed.

His hands were scrabbling against Thor's belt, trying to undo it, trying to grind against him, desperate to touch in return, practically snarling when Thor laughed.

"Easy," he said into Loki's temple. "Calm down. Let's get you ready first."

He was suddenly in Thor's arms, being held up by all that strength, that ability to carry people out of buildings. His chest heaved as Thor carried him through to the bed, laying him down carefully.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed, making Loki preen under the attention.

And then Thor was retrieving the bottle of lube and the condoms from the drawer he'd hidden them in, and pushing his legs apart, staring without shame.

"It's... OK, it's been a while for me," Thor said.

"Me too. Go slow."

"Oh, I will. Just didn't want you to be disappointed."

He'd been warming the lube between his palms, pulling off his shirt almost as an afterthought. Even though he'd seen it before, lots of times, the thought that that flesh would soon be pressed to his own was enough to make Loki shiver delightedly.

Thor was gently circling his entrance with one wet finger, teasing him deliberately, before gently pushing inside. Loki hummed happily, his body already starting to thrum in anticipation.

"Good?" Thor asked.

"Mmm..."

"I'll take that as a yes."

It was delightful to finally be getting his way, to be beneath that adoring gaze, to have Thor cautiously testing the addition of a second finger before burying it inside and starting to stretch properly, adding more lube than Loki thought was really necessary. Still, better too much than not enough.

"Another. I'll need three if I'm going to be open enough."

Thor didn't question it. Three was a bit more intense, but nothing he couldn't handle, especially not with how careful Thor was being.

And when he curled his fingers and pushed upwards...

"Ah! Yeah, there."

"Here?"

"Mm-hm. I'm... Oh, I'm ready. Give it to me. Please."

He whined gently as Thor drew back, freeing his erection from his soft lounge trousers, carefully rolling a condom on and lubing up even further.

"Sure you're ready?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I want it."

His mouth fell open around desperate gasps as Thor began pushing in, slowly and carefully. He could barely focus on the faint look of concern that was etched on Thor's face as he stopped.

"Too much?"

"No, it's... It's perfect. More. More, I want it all."

That seemed to relax him, a soft but wicked smile breaking out on his face, resuming that steady slide inside once again.

"So greedy..."

"More!"

And when Thor was finally in him right to the hilt, leaning forward to plant sweet kisses against his face, did Loki dare to clench his muscles, just a little, just to hear Thor moan. Such a delicious sound. One he would gladly hear every day for the rest of his life.

"Move," Loki begged. "I'm ready, move."

He'd had so many fantasies about this moment, of Thor being rough and fast with him, but he wouldn't change this caring softness for all the fish in the world.

Thor was so gentle, rolling his hips steadily, grinning when Loki gasped and keened, his hands gripping at his thighs just tightly enough. Loki lunged for kisses, wanting more, always more of this attention and it seemed Thor was only too happy to provide.

There was something delicious about Thor's breathing, so heavy, the faintest traces of moans on the edge of every exhale, his rhythm starting to speed up just a little. Every stroke felt like the first, constantly pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He almost didn't want to touch himself, wanted to stay here forever...

But he did also want to come. And that wish was stronger. Strong enough for him to reach down and wrap a fist around his cock.

Thor practically whimpered at the first pulse of Loki's orgasm, panting and gasping as he watched.

"Come on," he whispered. "God, so close."

"Yeah... God, yes, Thor..."

His back arched, a long keening exhale as he spilled, Thor grinning at the sight and only managing another few stuttering thrusts. He didn't pull out right away, leaning down to smooth Loki's hair and kiss him some more.

"Worth the wait?" he murmured.

"Mmm... Yes. So worth it. Regretting wasting time?"

"I needed that time. Come on. We can share a shower."

Mmm... Well, at least he was making up for it.


	15. Chapter 15

It couldn't always be perfect. Of course it couldn't. Days of sneaking into the shower when Thor thought he was alone, of curling up into a little ball of happiness on the couch, of playfully eating salmon out of Sif's hand to make Thor jealous, they couldn't last.

It all started with Svaldifari being arrested in connection with the arson of the building. Thor came home very excited about the whole thing and seemed to have missed the fact that testifying would mean exposure.

"I can't give evidence," Loki said. "I don't legally exist."

"Well, no," Thor conceded. "But you must know things about him. You could tip off the police anonymously."

Loki crossed his arms, fingers drumming irritably against his skin.

"I doubt he's living in the same place. We used to move around a lot. He's harmless. Mostly. He makes jewellery. He busks. He likes to get high and have tantric sex and talk about the moon. Odd, not criminal."

"Where'd he get his stuff from? For getting high?"

"No idea."

"And did you... ever..."

"Only soft stuff and then only passively. The smell makes me gag. Don't fancy the idea of inhaling it. Though I did used to have one hell of a catnip problem."

Thor laughed like it was a joke. It wasn't. He'd spent some time living with an older lady who used it to calm him enough to trim his nails. It didn't take much to find out where it was kept and take some, setting up a private stash under the bed. Oh, the days he'd spent lying on a pillow flying in his own head. He only quit after taking too much along with a few too many swigs of sherry and ending up with his head in the toilet for the entirety of bridge club.

"Still, maybe you know someone the police should be speaking to," Thor insisted.

"I don't, OK? I don't know anything."

"But you were with him for three years."

"He's not like you. You have your home, your job, your friends. Everything comes and goes in his circle, even people. Especially people. Even if I could pick one and say they're the right one to talk to, I don't know their legal names. I doubt the police could track down Wizard Moonchild. And why does it matter so much to you, anyway? He didn't try to kill you."

Tired of the discussion, he shifted, leaving his clothes where they fell.

Thor sighed at him, so much bigger from floor level, and tried to pick him up. Loki easily avoided him and ran off to hide.

"It matters because he tried to hurt you and I care about you. Even besides that, because I know you'll say that he failed so it doesn't matter, he committed arson. In my line of work, that's the most dangerous thing there is. I've seen too many people hurt or killed by it. Deliberate fire is awful and people who do it should be punished."

Somehow he managed to deliver this talk while scrabbling under the table, trying to drag Loki out from under it. Loki watched his hand in disdain, not striking at it, but hissing when he managed to get a firm grip of his flesh.

Thor pulled him out, looking down at his defiant cat face.

"Loki, please shift. I want to talk to you about this. Seriously."

Loki flapped a paw in his general direction.

"I'm warning you, I'll put you in the bath. You hate having wet fur."

He wouldn't dare...

Gentle, coaxing strokes down his side.

"At least tell me you're happy he's being questioned."

Well, if it would avoid getting wet...

He ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor, in a far less dignified position than his cat body had been in.

"Honestly, I don't care," he said. "But it obviously matters to you, so I'm happy for you."

"Thank you. I'd just feel better if he got what's coming to him."

Loki put a finger carefully to his lips. Thor kissed it automatically.

"OK," he said. "Sorry. It's not really my business, I get it."

"Good. Can I change back now? I'm in perfect belly rub position."

Thor smiled properly at him, running one palm down his smooth human skin.

"What is it about these that feels so good then?"

"Well... It's very coded, showing your belly. It demonstrates that I trust you. And it's very intimate and... And... Mmm, that's nice."

"And what, kitten?"

"Well, when I'm a cat, I do have eight nipples."

Thor chuckled.

"Seems like you have a choice then. You can shift and get stroked... Or you can eat dinner and come to bed and find out just how sensitive your human chest is."

"Can't I have both?"

"No. You're getting too spoiled."

Frowning and pouting had no effect. Thor had a heart of stone, that much was obvious. Belly rubs would be instant satisfaction, but then again, if he was human, he'd probably get to come...

"I'll get a dressing gown. Clothes are too complicated."

He smiled into Thor's kiss, pleased that he was letting the subject of Svaldifari drop for now.


	16. Chapter 16

"Ooh... Oh, fuck!"

Thor hummed softly, lips vibrating against Loki's left nipple, sucking gently. It had turned out that his human chest was very sensitive indeed.

He bucked helplessly as his other bud was pinched carefully, squeezed just a little. This was the most exquisite torture, playing back and forth across the line of too much. His fingers tangled in Thor's hair, his mouth open around a cry at the first graze of teeth, instantly soothed by the very tip of his tongue.

"Oh, God, Thor... Hah... Mmm..."

He was panting hard when Thor raised his head, grinning at him, his other hand returning to tease the bud he'd just finished sucking.

"You love this, don't you?"

"Yeah. Oh, do the other one, please..."

"Kiss first."

Just when he thought his heart-rate might calm down, that he might get a little respite from this cruel ecstasy as Thor moved against him to claim his lips, there was another tweak that had him whimpering and jerking.

And then that mouth, that sinful mouth, was on the other side, sucking and teasing his other nipple to match its twin. Loki thought he might explode, especially when Thor brought his hand down to cup his leaking cock. The reality of just how hard he was hit him, trying to angle his leg to find Thor's answering arousal with his thigh, pleased when he got a groan in response.

"I'm gonna... Ah, fuck! I'm gonna suck you so hard after this."

He felt Thor chuckle, giving his nipple one last tiny bite before kissing down his torso.

"Funny," _kiss_ "I was just..." _kiss_ "thinking..." _kiss_ "the very same thing."

Loki keened as Thor moved to kneel between his legs, pulling his pelvis up and kissing softly at the base of his erection, teasing with flicks of his tongue up the shaft and starting to suck on the head.

"Wait," Loki said. "Wait, come here."

"Hmm?"

"I want to suck you."

"And you'll get to, once I'm done."

"No, now. At the same time. And then cuddles."

"So demanding, kitten."

He whined until Thor lowered him back to the bed, crawling up to lie next to him. At least he was getting his own way, yanking Thor close and digging his fingers into the meat of his thighs, desperate to get started.

It was short, both of them too overwhelmed to last, doing their best to make the other fall first.

And Thor turned out to be far too good at this. He was bobbing his head quickly and sucking hard. It was difficult for Loki to concentrate enough to use his tongue in a variety of interesting ways, wondering if he should try something new.

He decided there was no harm in finding out what Thor's reaction would be to a little surprise. He could always stop if it wasn't received well. He paused for a second, sucking one of his fingers, and then resumed where he'd left off, but this time simultaneously rubbing his wet digit carefully over Thor's entrance.

Ooh, it seemed out Thor liked that, if the helpless moan and twitch was anything to go by. Loki chuckled around his length, only to nearly choke when Thor came unexpectedly, flooding his mouth almost faster than he could swallow.

And with him taken care of, he could focus on his own pleasure, on the warmth of Thor's mouth and the strength of his hands cupping his arse. With a happy cry, he hit his peak, Thor stroking his thigh as he came down from the post-orgasm high enough to giggle.

"You liked that," he purred.

"So did you."

Thor was clambering up the bed, lazy after climax, dragging the blankets over them both.

"You know what I mean. You liked it when I touched you _there_."

He was so flustered and it was delicious.

"So? You love that stuff. It must feel good. It did feel good. Strange, but good."

Loki laughed delightedly and kissed him. This had the potential to be very interesting indeed.

The spectre of Svaldifari was still hanging over them. Loki almost wished he'd meet some kind of natural end and stop being an issue. It was pretty obvious that Thor was never going to be able to let it go, regardless of how easily he was moving on.

It might be prudent to do something about that.


	17. Chapter 17

Svaldifari had been released on bail, apparently, but that meant he'd have to stay in town. It narrowed down the places he might be.

Loki started taking long walks to some of their old haunts, looking for anyone he might know. Most of the places he visited were abandoned or occupied by strangers who looked at him with distant eyes, shaking their heads vaguely when he asked if they knew where the other people had gone.

He did feel a little bad about not telling Thor what he was doing. Anything could happen to him and Thor would think he'd run away, probably. Their agreement was that Thor would take care of him. How could he do that if he kept willfully putting himself in danger? Eventually, the guilt got so much that he started to leave notes, just in case, destroying them each time before Thor got back from work.

The main concern about the case - according to what Thor kept insisting on telling him - seemed to be that while they knew he held the only registered key to the locked room, that was merely circumstantial evidence with no witness to put him at the scene of the arson. It would be very hard to prove.

Of course, this much additional research and days spent walking for hours did tire him out more than usual, often leaving him needing a nap before dinner. More than once, he woke purring as Thor gently stroked his head to ask if he wanted human or cat food.

He had to admit, it was very sweet that Thor would ask. Worried about discovery, he always slept as a cat unless Thor was home and sometimes he wanted to remain that way for the rest of the evening, depending on how tired he was.

There was just something nice about getting to be small. And if he made that decision, Thor would eat in the kitchen with him, chatting about his day, and let him curl up on his lap and pet him until he fell asleep again.

He did usually switch back to human when it was time for bed though. Proper cuddles and sleepy kisses weren't something he wanted to miss out on. But he did appreciate it, more than Thor probably knew.

It was two weeks into his campaign before he made any progress. He managed to find someone whose name he couldn't recall, but who clearly recognised him from the look on her face, and the fact that when he waved she leapt up and left at a run.

Hmmm...

He trailed her slowly on foot for a little while, a faint mist of drizzle falling on his hair, before he found a suitable hidden alley way, safely out of public view and without CCTV as far as he could see. He stepped into it, taking his little keyring out of his pocket and looping it into his collar. It wouldn't do to lose those after all.

And then he shifted.

He left the alley quickly, keys clinking a little bit, nose to the ground to trace his prey. It wasn't exactly difficult. She'd clearly thought he had lost the trail. He was maybe only a few hundred metres behind her when she ducked into what looked like an abandoned warehouse, ignoring the clear warning signs about unsafe masonry just as it began to rain properly.

Not wanting to go all the way into the building, Loki followed just to the door and then looked for other options. There were various ropes and scaffolding poles up the walls. It was just a case of finding an open window.

How did humans cope without being able to do this kind of thing? Oh, they could climb ropes, but they couldn't leap like this or balance like this, climb like this. He needed to do this more often. Maybe he could convince Thor to build him some kind of obstacle course to play on.

It took a little while for him to find a good vantage point, but then he could hear everything.

"You're sure it was him?"

"Either that or his ghost."

He listened for a good ten or fifteen minutes before scampering down and heading back to the little alley.

The little alley where he really ought to have tucked his clothes out of the way. A leaking gutter in just the wrong place had soaked them right through.

Sighing gently to himself, he shifted briefly to tie them into an easily transported bundle, stuffing them inside a plastic bag from his pocket that would have been really useful a few minutes ago had he remembered he had it and picked them up in his mouth to set off home, dragging his wet clothes and shoes back down the thankfully mostly deserted street towards Thor's place.


	18. Chapter 18

Thor lived on a nice street, very exposed. He couldn't shift here. It was odd enough that he was sitting on the doorstep, blinking at the rain with a rolled up bundle of clothes next to him. Suddenly being a naked man would not go down well. Fortunately no-one paid him any attention.

When Thor finally came into view at the bottom of the street, Loki howled pitifully. He was cold and wet and he'd been sat out here for at least an hour. Luckily, Thor was jogging up, keys already out.

"Oh, kitten, what happened?"

He opened the door and Loki leapt inside as he picked up the bag, hurrying up the stairs faster than Thor could follow to the flat door and then finally inside, into the warmth and safety of home, where he could stretch and shift. Thor ducked into the bathroom to grab a towel, wrapping him in it and rubbing hard.

"You're freezing," he said. "Go get into bed and I'll get the kettle on."

Loki was shivering a little as he slipped beneath the sheets, pulling on a random t-shirt and sitting up to accept tea. Thor got in next to him to share additional body heat.

"What were you doing out there?"

"I was... looking for Svaldifari. And I found him, eavesdropped on him a bit in my cat form before scurrying away to regroup, but by then my clothes were too wet to wear and I couldn't shift to unlock the door in public and so I got stuck. It's no big deal."

Thor was frowning slightly, reaching forward to remove the keyring from Loki's collar.

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Well, because you so desperately want him to go down for arson. There isn't enough evidence yet. I thought that if I find out where he is, I can do something to make sure that happens. And then you can stop worrying."

Thor put an arm around him, such a simple gesture but still highly comforting.

"You shouldn't put yourself in danger for my peace of mind," he murmured. "What if something had happened?"

"I left a note in the living room."

It sounded stupid to say it out loud.

"And besides," Loki continued. "I wasn't in any danger. I just got a bit wet, that's all. It's never hurt anybody."

"What if you get pneumonia?"

"Then you'll have to spoil me rotten and take care of me, I expect."

Thor kissed his temple.

"I'm not angry," he said carefully. "Just worried. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Loki wasn't quite sure why that made his heart soar, but it did. He wanted to nestle into Thor for the rest of the day, but he was also hungry and getting to eat dinner in bed was a rare treat that he was only too happy to go along with. There was time for snuggling afterwards.

Thor was off work the following day, so they could have a late morning. Fortunately, it seemed Loki had not contracted pneumonia or even so much as a cold. He woke surprisingly early, shuffling around in Thor's arms and deciding to attempt kissing him awake.

Getting playfully pushed away but pulled back in the very same moment had him giggling, feeling strangely light as Thor dragged him on top, kissing back with a delicious, sloppy laziness.

"Mmph," Loki moaned. "Lie still. Let me look after us both."

He had two fingers stretching and scissoring himself open when the door buzzer rang. Thor groaned as though in physical pain.

"It'll just be the postman," he said, tipping Loki back to his side of the bed. "Don't stop. I'll be right back."

Loki was ready now, so simply arranged himself artfully, condom packet in hand, all presented and open and slick. He could hear Thor talking, sounding a little strained.

"OK," he was saying. "OK, just give me twenty minutes."

At least he had the decency to look sheepish as he came back into the room.

"It's my brother," he said. "Our parents are here too, surprising me. I've managed to stall them, sent them to have breakfast round the corner, but..."

"But you now only have twenty minutes before you're due to meet them? And you have to shower and clean a little and get dressed in that time?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Loki said, throwing the condom at him. "Better make this hard and fast then."


	19. Chapter 19

"I was hoping you might say that," Thor said, ripping the foil packet open and rolling the condom on while Loki grinned at him. "Ready?"

"So ready."

Thor didn't bother getting back into bed, just dragged Loki across the sheets by his ankles, shoving his legs apart and pressing in steadily.

"Ah, yeah," Loki moaned. "Come on, give it to me. Time is of the essence."

Thor began with an almost painfully slow pace.

"But I want to enjoy this."

"Mmm, you can enjoy me later. Right now you need to pound me until we both come screaming."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Loki shrieked and laughed as Thor threw one of his legs up onto his shoulder, going deep and fast and hard, fingers digging into his hips.

"Good?"

"Fuck!"

"Yeah..."

There wasn't much room for talking. They were too busy panting and crying out. Loki's whole body was shaking with every thrust, his cock leaking as his prostate was hit every with every stroke.

This was probably the best sex he had ever or was ever going to have. His whole being was electrified, sparks of pleasure exploding in his brain, only aware of how good Thor's cock felt inside him.

"Ah, fuck," Thor gasped. "I'm so close, you have to..."

It took Loki seconds from touching his cock to coming, the intense clenching of his body pulling Thor over, drawing a long moan from him, followed by warm kisses.

"OK," Loki breathed. "Shower, now. You can head out to meet them right away, I'll do a little cleaning up and go cat, then you can bring them home without worrying."

Thor pulled him up off the bed to steer him through to the bathroom.

"You are a lifesaver and I do not deserve you."

Loki laughed, setting the water running.

"Says the man who literally carried me out of a burning building."

It was a fast shower, but still passionate, both of them still a little high from their orgasms. Thor was dressed quickly, leaving Loki to gather laundry - including his still-damp clothes from the day before - and put the machine on, move dirty dishes through to the kitchen and quickly wipe down the coffee table, even finding the nice coasters to lay out.

Satisfied that he couldn't do anything else without risking being caught, he shifted and leapt up onto the windowsill to watch for their return.

Of course, he knew what Thor's family looked like. He'd seen pictures of them. But it was still a little different to see them in the flesh, crossing the road and coming towards the building.

Yes, there was the broad, stern face of his father. It seemed that he had faced a lot of stress in his life and Loki wondered what he did for a living. He certainly dressed like someone important, all muted dark tones and clean lines. Like he was visiting a foreign diplomat instead of his son.

Thor's mother, her silver-streaked golden hair that Thor had inherited and easy movements, a woman used to and comfortable in her body and in the practical but pretty linen two-piece she was wearing, pastels to contrast with her husband. She could be a housewife or a CEO. He doubted she would let anything stand in her way of doing anything she wanted.

And Balder, looking like a younger, slightly darker Thor, if he indulged his appetites a little too frequently. Faded t-shirt that could be so for fashion or age. He was laughing at something. Loki got the impression that he laughed a lot. There was something about him that just seemed very friendly and open.

A nice family. The kind of people he had once dreamed about in the children's home.

He just hoped none of them were allergic to him.


	20. Chapter 20

Odin was visibly a little scared of him, but Loki got the feeling that if they gave each other space there would be no problems. Balder attempted a belly rub, but since admitting the gentle stimulation he got from it, Loki thought it perhaps wasn't prudent to allow Thor's little brother to do such things. General stroking was probably fine though.

And Frigga... Well...

"Ooooh! Look at this _sweetheart!_ How adorable. Oh, Thor, I can't believe you didn't tell us about him."

"Well, you know, it didn't really come up."

"How long have you had him?"

"Erm... A few months."

" _Months?!_ "

Thor shuffled awkwardly. He obviously felt a little overwhelmed by the sudden invasion, especially since they were touching his pet all unawares that he was actually a bit more than that. Loki made his way over to him in an attempt to soothe, settling down on his lap.

"So, er..." Balder said. "I never saw you as a cat kind of person."

"Me neither. But I carried him out of a burning building and he attached himself to me. And who can say no to that face?"

_You, sometimes._

Loki zoned out a little as they discussed other relatives, some cousin's new baby, an upcoming wedding, napping just a little as Thor kept up the stroking.

"What are you going to do with Loki while you're with us next month?" Odin asked, cutting through his sleepy consciousness. "Have you thought about catteries?"

Opening one eye, he knew Thor could feel that he'd gone tense. _No cattieries. I'll die of boredom with only cats to talk to._

"He can't come with me to yours?"

"Well, only if you want to give your Uncle Vili hives. And we can't leave him alone on the Saturday during the reception."

Thor's stroking was a little more intense now, comforting in a slightly panicked way.

"I'll look into it. Or Sif could look after him, I'm sure. It's only a weekend, after all."

Oh, and for some reason faces fell at that. What was going on here then?

"Did you not get a plus one invite?" Balder asked.

"Well... Yeah. But you know I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."

"We thought you might like to bring Sif," Odin said, pointedly.

The glance Thor threw down to Loki was almost imperceptible. Almost.

"I can't ask her to take time off to be a gooseberry at a family wedding," he said, a little too quickly. "And imagine the awkward questions she'd have to sit through. No, I'm a big boy, I can handle a wedding by myself."

Hmmm... This was worrying. The atmosphere was suddenly very tense indeed.

"Well," Frigga said, all brisk as though trying to sweep the bad feelings away. "I know we should have called ahead, which is why we're going to leave you alone this afternoon while we're out, but I assume you have no dinner plans?"

"Er, no. No, I don't. What were you thinking of?"

"We have a voucher," Balder said, looking impossibly pleased. "All those charity raffles have to pay off at some point."

"I think you'll find _I_ have a voucher," Frigga said pointedly. "And I want to use it on a family dinner. No occasion. Just because I want to spend time with my three boys. And I wish I could bring my fourth now I've met him, but I don't think cats would be allowed."

Odin was rolling his eyes, but fondly. The moment of tension from before seemed to be forgotten.

"Table booked for seven," he said. "So we'll be back at quarter to in the car."

"Yeah, sounds great," Thor said, slightly strained.

"And now we'll get out of your hair."

Loki stepped carefully off Thor's lap, tail twitching anxiously as he waited for him to see them off and come back to explain himself.

And no, he wasn't going to shift for it.

Thor sighed as he came back into the room.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, flopping down. "I haven't lied. There's nothing going on between me and Sif. We've just been friends for a long time and assumptions have been made. They arrived out of the blue once and we'd been drinking the night before so I'd made her sleep in my bed while I had the couch, but they just assumed... We have no deeper feelings for one another than friendly affection and respect, I swear."

Loki turned his face haughtily towards him and yawned. That was fair enough, but be wasn't getting off so easy.

"Catteries, then? Is this about going to a cattery? You don't have to. I'll put you up in a hotel if you really want."

Mmm, that sounded good actually. It had been years since he'd been in a hotel. As a reward, he deigned to wander over and lie on his back in Thor's lap again, writhing until he was comfortable.

Thor smiled and ran a hand down his stomach.

"Thanks for not letting Balder do this. It'd be weird."

Loki's laughter came out as purrs.


	21. Chapter 21

Realising that hanging out as a cat all day when most of Thor's evening was now occupied wasn't exactly prudent, Loki let him stew for about half an hour before shifting and coming to interrupt his cleaning of the kitchen.

"So, this hotel..."

Thor grinned.

"I knew that would get you interested. I was thinking the hotel that the reception's being held at. We're all staying there on the Saturday night anyway and I could just sneak along to your room for cuddles."

"Cuddles? Think bigger. Just imagine, I'll have been up there, all alone, waiting for you. Thinking about getting to be in your arms again..."

"You'll have spent all of two nights without me. You do that all the time when I'm on lates."

"But not more than 24 hours. It might as well be an eternity. I'm getting antsy just thinking about it..."

"Is that so?"

Loki whined low in his throat, pleading and needy.

"Thor..."

No response. Thor did like to tease him so.

"Thooooor!"

"Yes, kitten?"

Pouting, moving close enough to touch, voice just short of petulant as his nuzzled into Thor's shoulder.

"Come back to bed. It's early still."

"It's past noon."

"Please."

Ah, evidently that's what he'd been waiting for. Like Loki had ever had to use please before.

"Alright. You go and get ready while I finish in here. I'll be five minutes."

Five minutes might as well have been a lifetime, but Loki obediently went to the bedroom and started to prepare himself. He was still stretched from just a couple of hours earlier, so it didn't take long before his touches changed from utilitarian to far more pleasure based. Maybe he could speed things along with a little encouragement.

"Mmm," he moaned, loudly. "Ooh, yeah... Oh, feels so good. More..."

"I know what you're doing!" Thor called from the kitchen. "You better not come before I get there."

"Yeah? Or else what?"

"Or else I'll get another one out of you."

"That's not a threat!"

He did ease off a little all the same. The idea was to have fun with Thor, not without him. Even if five minutes was a torturously long time to wait, and even if then he had to wait for Thor to strip, which took ages, and only then was he within pouncing range.

"Lie down," he urged, half-wrestling with him. "Lie down. I'm gonna ride you."

He almost snarled when Thor gripped both his wrists.

"Not that that doesn't sound like the sexiest thing, kitten, but did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

Loki blinked at him. Notice? Notice what?

"Condom," Thor prompted.

"I forgot," Loki said, truthfully, rummaging in the drawer for one. "Though I'd pretty sure I'm clean if you ever want to go without."

"Fine for now."

Loki tried to be glad that Thor was so concerned for both their health, and not too annoyed that yet more delay was being found.

Still, he was biting his lip as he sank down, watching as Thor's eyes flickered shut at the sensation. He launched himself forward, gripping Thor's wrists to put them above his head.

"Keep them there," he said. "Let me do all the work."

Thor raised his eyebrows, hands clenching into fists to better control himself, gaze running down Loki's body, enjoying the sight.

Loki laid his hands firmly on Thor's chest for leverage, gently rocking his hips, just a little, just enough to get a groan. He liked this, having Thor obey him for once. Just to be very visually, viscerally in control of his big, strong owner.

"Can I touch you?" Thor asked.

"No. Just watch. Watch and feel."

He was bouncing now, moaning at the feeling of such a thick cock filling him, controlling the angle just the way he liked best, his own leaking gently on Thor's skin.

And Thor was watching, watching as his motions carried through his body and made his cock slap on Thor's stomach just a little.

"Like what you see?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

"Well, tell me. Flatter me."

"And then I can touch?"

"Maybe. It depends how well you do."

Thor grinned, enjoying the challenge.

"Your legs," he began. "Are so strong. I feel like if I tried to pull back you'd just wrap those beautiful thighs around me and grip and I would be trapped in the loveliest prison. Your hair is soft everywhere but it's softest of all on your legs. So delicate. And your hips were made for my hands to grip, to hold, to slide up to your waist and ribs. And then your nipples that I love to tease and bite and make you squirm. Your arms are so graceful, so... feline. Your clever hands. And your neck. How I love your neck, the curve and arching of it, a perfect canvas for kisses. I love to see your face open in pleasure, overwhelmed by feeling. You're perfect like that."

Loki tossed his head, knowing he was mere moments from coming, that a single touch to his cock might set him off, and grinned.

"You've forgotten a very important part of me, Thor."

"That's because my words would never do justice to my feelings. You'll just have to let me touch it. And soon - I'm close."

"Mmm... Alright. You may touch."

Thor surged up to meet him, cupping his jaw to kiss him hard, reaching down between their bodies to jerk Loki's cock, staring into his eyes with such intensity until he came, grinning as he cried out.

"Like I said," he whispered. "Perfect."

Loki slumped in his arms, panting.

"That was more fun than cleaning, wasn't it?"

He almost lived for Thor's laugh.


	22. Chapter 22

While Thor was gone, after he'd hung up the laundry to dry, Loki began to try and formulate a real plan to deal with Svaldifari.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew an accident would actually be the worst possible thing to happen. The accused in a trial dying so close to their day in court? Well, that would be far too suspicious.

He was supposedly a demon, right? He could scare him into pleading guilty, going to jail which would appease Thor and get him out of the way all at the same time.

In fact, Thor was going to be the biggest hurdle to achieving this. No doubt he would not approve of a plan that involved going to see the man who tried to burn him to death. But the idea of not telling him made him uneasy for some absurd reason.

Perhaps therefore it was lucky that the alcohol seemed to have flowed at family dinner and so Thor came home, dropped his keys, hissed a curse louder than he probably meant to and was no doubt exactly in the right state of mind to be told a scheme - that is, forgetful.

Loki leapt down from the bed, padding out on his paws, just in case Balder had accompanied Thor home for whatever reason. But no, he was alone and grinning as Loki playfully ran in and out of his legs, rubbing up against him.

"Cuddles?" Thor said, less a question than a suggestion and less a suggestion than a statement of intent.

He stumbled through to the bedroom, his grin somehow growing even wider when Loki shifted and got back into bed. He didn't even get fully undressed when he climbed in, just taking off his jeans. Loki sighed fondly and set about unbuttoning his shirt.

"Mmm, yes..."

"No. You are drunk and need to sleep. I'm making sure you're comfortable, that's all."

"I am not drunk. I am merely tipsy."

"Ssh... Listen to me. Tomorrow, when you are hungover, I'm going to track down Svaldifari and convince him to plead guilty to criminal damage."

Thor sat bolt upright.

"You're going to what?! No, not by yourself. I'm coming with you."

Loki huffed.

"No, I will be fine. This is just drunken hubris."

"Tipsy. And I'm coming with you, end of discussion. You made it my job to take care of you and that's what I'm going to do."

"What, whether I like it or not?"

"If needs be, yes."

Loki sulked as Thor briefly went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, looking ridiculous and not at all sexy in just his underwear and socks.

"Look," he said from the doorway in a tone that allowed no arguments. "Even if I stay hidden, I am coming with you to make sure you're safe. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I care about you too much."

And that was all very nice and everything, but Loki was still annoyed, arms folded across his chest and refusing to soften even when Thor got back into bed and tentatively ran a hand over his torso.

"I'm sorry, kitten, but I won't change my mind."

Loki rolled his eyes and shifted, flopping onto his stomach. He wasn't in the mood for belly rubs.

That was a sign of how serious he was. At least Thor seemed to understand it, leaning forward to kiss him between the ears.

"OK," he whispered. "Then I'll talk to you in the morning."

Loki managed to fume for about another ten minutes.

How dare Thor act like he had to be all knight in shining armour all the time? Even if it would admittedly make him feel safer if he knew Thor was with him, he could do this himself. He didn't need anyone or anything. He could leave whenever he liked, and nevermind that he'd never been so free to be all aspects of himself whenever he liked before and...

He was still angry. He could feel the rage bubbling beneath his skin. But he was too tired to sustain it. And, since he was used to sleeping as a human now, he shifted and stretched, fluffing the pillow until it was comfortable.

After another twenty minutes, he accidentally rolled into cuddle range.

He very deliberately made no attempt to escape being cuddled.


	23. Chapter 23

Rather irritatingly, Thor was not hungover at all the following day. In fact, he was awake earlier than Loki was, just looking at him softly.

"So how exactly is your plan going to work?" he asked.

"Well, I know where Svaldifari is. Or where to start looking for him at least. I'm going to go and tell him to confess. Threaten him with... haunting or whatever it is demons do. Just put the fear into him a little."

Thor nodded.

"Alright. Well, I'm still coming with you. Just in case."

There was clearly going to be no convincing him otherwise. Loki sighed, resigned.

"Fine. Though I don't know what you think is going to happen."

"He tried to burn you to death. What if he attacks you or something?"

"He won't! For goodness' sake, he's just a drifting musician-slash-stall holder. I promise you, he's almost completely harmless. He really just wants to be left alone to think about the universe. You're so prejudiced!"

"Now that's not fair. I'm all for alternative lifestyles. I'm just prejudiced against arsonists, a position that I feel is entirely justified."

"OK. You've won. Now go brush your teeth. Your morning breath is even worse than usual and I have a sensitive nose."

Thor kissed him anyway, at least having the decency not to crow about his victory, and before long the shower was running.

To be fair, it would be useful to have Thor around. He could guard the clothes, make sure there was no trouble... Damn it, he was right.

Loki had his little street map open when Thor came back, wrapped in a towel.

"Right. I managed to track him to a derelict building here. So we'll go to this side street so I can shift out of sight, you keep hold of my clothes and I will go in and talk to him. If anything goes wrong, I'll scream."

"And what should I do if that happens?"

"Prepare for the fact that I'll be running out of there very quickly and I'll need you to scoop me up and carry me home."

There was a small but visible frown playing around Thor's forehead. He obviously thought he had a better plan. But nothing would go wrong, so it was a moot point.

"This is so exciting," Thor said as they locked the flat door. "It's like we're secret agents or something."

"Do you want a codename?"

"No. We don't even have walkie-talkies. Though next time, we totally should get some. We can clip it onto your collar."

His enthusiasm was infectious. Loki could almost forget that really he was just going to go chat with an ex about fire safety and taking responsibility for one's actions. Thor seemed distinctly nervous when they got to the alley though.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Loki decided not to dignify that with an answer, merely shifting and heading off.

She was still around, the woman he'd seen before. She was pretty, in a slightly unnerving way. Long braided blonde hair, eyes that gazed right through you. He glanced inside, checking that there wasn't anyone else around, and wandered in like he owned the place, changing his shape mid-stride.

"Where's Svaldifari?" he asked, not caring at all that he was naked.

She screamed.

And Thor burst in the opposite door.


	24. Chapter 24

"What are you doing?" Loki stammered.

"You screamed."

" _She_ screamed. That sounded nothing like me!"

"Demon!" the woman was shouting. "Demon!"

A pile of blankets in the corner moved, Svaldifari sitting up. Presumably he was able to sleep through screaming. That probably said a lot about him.

"Right," Loki said. "Alright. You need to... About trying to burn me to death, er..."

"Who the fuck's this one?" Svaldifari slurred gesturing at Thor.

"Must be another one the same as him." That was the woman. "Another demon. Probably turns into a monster dog."

"I'm not, actually." Thor said. "I'm an angel."

Loki stared at him, jaw dropped, hoping that the ground would open and swallow them both.

"Yes," Thor was continuing. "I've been assigned to this case by... God. We're rehabiliating the demon away from evil. But while bad deeds against him are unresolved, we are unable to complete this work. He needs a clean slate to keep him from thoughts of revenge. So we are here to politely request that you plead guilty to the arson you performed in an attempt to kill my... My, er..."

"Charge," Loki croaked. "I'm in his care now. I'm learning to renounce my evil ways and I need your help."

"My help?" Svaldifari said. "After what you did to me?"

Loki could feel the weight of Thor's gaze upon him, though he was unsure what crime he was being accused of.

"Three years of my life, wasted! Led into sin by you and your body."

Oh, that. Loki seized upon the opportunity.

"Confess your crime and your natural life will be extended in turn as a reward," he tried, Thor nodding desperately. They could totally bullshit their way out.

Narrowed eyes from Svaldifari and his lady friend. They weren't buying this at all.

"If you are an angel," she said. "Then prove it. Do something angelic."

Ah, fuck.

"Well..." Thor said, clearly playing for time. "Obviously I... I can't because I am only granted limited powers in this feeble human form. And the sight of my real body would melt your faces. Like in _Raiders of the Lost Ark._ "

Loki barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"You must have faith."

"Look," Loki snapped. "Just plead guilty. You get a reduced sentence, and since no-one was injured, it's just criminal damage. Do it and you'll never hear from me again. If you don't... Well, I might just find a way to haunt you some more. Or at least... Trouble you."

Yes, he could cause a lot of trouble. Cats could get everywhere. He could bring mice in, birds, tip off the police about all the little just-illegal things that made up Svaldifari's daily life.

"How did you even get a key to a flat, anyway?" he asked vaguely. It had been bothering him.

"Inherited it. After the building was condemned."

That was odd. He'd had no idea Svaldifari had family. These were the kinds of things he probably should have asked when they were still together. But he knew that he'd never really cared.

"Please, just plead guilty. And the grand forces of good and evil will leave you alone to do whatever it is that you do."

"And if not," Thor said. "Then we'll be back."

Svaldifari seemed deeply unimpressed, but he sighed and seemed resigned. Probably wanting to get rid of them.

"How many years will I get?"

Loki shifted, leaping into Thor's arms as he began to talk through the possible outcomes of the trial.

That has been ridiculous. There would have to be severe words later.


	25. Chapter 25

"An angel?!" Loki squeaked while getting dressed again, shielded behind Thor's coat.

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Nothing. You weren't meant to say anything. You weren't supposed to be there."

"I heard screaming..."

Loki huffed, snatching his scarf from Thor's hands.

"I'm grateful for everything you do for me, but I can cope by myself, you know. I've done it for years."

"And you don't have to anymore. I love looking after you. You've been through so much."

"Don't you dare pity me," Loki hissed as they set off for home. "I have had ups and downs, but who hasn't? I don't need saving."

Thor slipped an arm around his waist.

"I'm not pitying you. I'm just saying that I would rather you didn't have to go through so many downs. You don't have to. You don't deserve to."

Well, that was true. He deserved to have his whims attended to and taken care of. He didn't deserve some kind of over-bearing protector.

"How about, to say sorry, we go out for dinner?"

"What? In public?"

"Why not?"

"What if someone saw us?"

"What if someone saw me out having dinner with the most handsome man?"

Flattery was one of Loki's favourite things. But he didn't want to go out and pretend to be human.

"No," he said. "Stop in Asda for make-your-own pizza. Double tuna and anchovies."

"OK. And I'll get some salmon trimmings to add to yours."

"Excellent idea. You are forgiven."

So forgiven that he settled himself in human form on Thor's lap to eat, a position that seemed to be very much appreciated.

Not quite as appreciated as turning his face and claiming slightly greasy kisses.

"Leave the rest for breakfast?"

"Mmm, yes. Take me to bed, angel."

"No, no, no," Thor said, picking him up. "Do not make that a thing. I'll have to take punitive measures if you do that."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Thor was laughing as he laid Loki on the bed, carefully pulling off his clothes.

"We made a good team today, I thought."

"Are you joking?"

"Yeah, we were awful. But luckily I do know one thing we're very good at doing."

"Is it kissing?"

Of course it was. And very pleasant it was too, all greed and holding back and then releasing and then Thor decided he had something to say.

"I'm sorry if I'm ever too... You know. Zealous in trying to look after you."

"Well, just don't do it again."

"I hope I won't ever have to. You got any other troublesome exes I should know about?"

Loki laughed. Like he'd tell Mr Worry even if he did.

"Shut up and get me off, please."

Thor grinned, clearly similarly aware of the frisson of arousal that had been bubbling between them all this time. He reached down with one hand to grip both their cocks, hot and slippery with pre-come. It was heavenly to be so lazy about it, sliding together and inching ever closer to climax.

Loki didn't even realise he was panting until he cried out and heard how breathless he was, mouth open and gasping in wonder at how something so simple could feel so good.

And Thor was evidently not unaffected. His arm was bulging with the effort, mumbling words of encouragement as Loki's back arched helplessly, unable to hold back any longer and spilling over Thor's hand.

It wasn't long before Thor was coming too, their spend mixing on his skin.

He looked as if he might burst with desire when Loki licked it off with short flicks of his tongue.


	26. Chapter 26

"Good afternoon, sir. Do you have a reservation?"

"Hello. Yes, name of Odinson?"

The young woman clicked through a few screens while he drew one of Thor's credit cards out for confirmation. He was here for three nights, Thursday through Saturday, and fully anticipated making the most of it. He wouldn't go too far with room service, but then again...

She smiled and handed over a key card and breakfast menu, wishing him a pleasant stay. And, oh, he intended to have one.

"I'm actually expecting a package to be delivered here tomorrow," he said. "Will that be alright?"

"Of course, sir. We'll bring it right up to your room."

Oh, yes, this was wonderful.

They'd had a strange couple of weeks. Svaldifari had entered a guilty plea and received a few years behind bars. Who knew, maybe prison would turn out to be good for him. Loki was still struggling to believe it, even though he read the reports and had sat purring in Sif's lap as she gave a first-hand account of the trial where she had been the fire service witness. She'd seemed pleased with the outcome. Not as pleased as Thor though, who had danced him round the living room the moment she went home.

And now... Well, he had a very comfortable bed and a very luxurious bath and a very fluffy dressing gown.

Mmm...

He had a couple of surprises in store for Thor, but for tonight he was just going to relax fully. And eat all the little biscuits.

He took a long bath, using all the complementary oils and lotions and shampoos. Dinner arrived straight to the room, letting him eat it in bed watching the evening family film on the wall-mounted TV. He fell asleep very warm and comfortable, sleeping in until late the next day. What was the point of luxury if you didn't enjoy it?

Everyone was so polite to him. That was one of the biggest things he noticed. No more odd looks for his collar - though admittedly he was hiding it beneath scarves most of the time. No more nervous looks when he opened his wallet. Money really was magic, wasn't it?

He did take a rare hour out of his collar to use the hotel gym and pool, even if the shorts he'd borrowed from Thor were in constant danger of slipping off.

And when he got back to his room, his package had arrived. Very nice it was too. Thor would love it.

And speaking of...

After dinner, he took out his note of Thor's number and called him from his room phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi. It's me. Can you talk now?"

"Erm... Sure, just... Just hang on."

Loki grinned.

"Go to your room. Get on the bed."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? Distance doesn't need to be a barrier."

"From what?"

Such a tease...

"I'm naked right now."

There was a brief scuffling sound which he interpreted as Thor dropping his phone.

"Hang on," he said, followed by the sound of a door locking. "OK. I'm in the bathroom."

"Why?"

"Because the door locks."

His voice had dropped to a whisper. Loki grinned to himself.

"Worried someone will hear? OK. I'm going to ask you a few questions and you can answer yes or no. And if I'm happy about the answers, I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing right now. That sound good to you?"

"Yes."

There was already a degree of breathlessness to Thor's voice. This had been such a good idea.

"Mmm... Have you been thinking about me since yesterday?"

"Yes."

Correct answer.

"I'm lying in this very soft bed, on these very smooth sheets, legs bent, cock twitching. I'm running one hand very gently up my thigh, just with my fingertips. Are you looking forward to the wedding?"

"Not really."

"Huh. Are you looking forward to seeing me?"

"Yes."

"I'm spreading my legs, and taking hold of my cock, but I wish it was you. Will you sneak away from the reception early to come to me?"

"Of course."

"Do you wish you were touching me right now?"

"More than anything."

Loki laughed.

"I'm stroking my cock, very, very gently. Teasing. You like to tease, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Are you touching yourself too?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going a bit faster now. Mmm... Oh, yeah. A little pressure, just a little... I can just imagine you with that beautiful dick of yours in your hand, all big and leaking. You want to come with me?"

He could hear Thor breathing hard, panting almost.

"Yes..."

"OK, faster... Mmm, faster. Oh, God, I can't wait for tomorrow so you can fuck me. You'll do it nice and hard, yeah? Just how I want it?"

"God, yes..."

"Gonna come?"

"Yes."

He had the luxury of being able to cry out as he spilled. Thor made a strange grunting sound, evidently trying to hold back. A most successful experiment.

"Can't wait to see you," Loki said, playing a little with his own come.

"Me neither," Thor breathed.

"Good night, Thor."

"Night, kitten. I love you."

Loki stared at the phone for a few moments after Thor had hung up before carefully putting the receiver back in its cradle and heading to the bathroom to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Battening down the hatches in preparation for comments]
> 
> (Also hey, wanna help validate me some more? Crimson Peak has punched me in the stomach and so I am pouring my feelings into extremely spoiler-iffic fic. If you think you might be into that kind of thing, you can find it [over here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5038159/chapters/11581696) /blatant self-promotion.)


	27. Chapter 27

Loki took an extremely long shower late the next afternoon. He'd spent the morning in the sauna and took in a massage to ensure there would be absolutely no twinges or aches. He wanted to be entirely ready for the reception.

He couldn't go to the dinner without invitation, but there was nothing to prevent him sneaking into the room from the hotel bar afterwards and surprising Thor.

He went to the effort of blow-drying his hair even, letting it settle in smooth layers instead of his natural fluffy waves.

The suit he'd had delivered was hanging in the wardrobe and it didn't take him long to figure out how to use the room iron on his shirt. Crisp and clean, white to contrast with the deep slate waistcoat and jacket. He knew he'd look good in it, but he hadn't realised just how good.

The final touch, a silk scarf that he'd managed to sneak into the house and into his suitcase without Thor noticing, softened the look and made it just plausible that he might have been to a wedding. Yes, he was so ready for this.

Wedding receptions are not generally hard to find. Just follow the noise. Whichever cousin of Thor's this was had hired a DJ who was following the tried and tested cheese method of celebrating love. Loki chose a spot to lounge by the bar and scanned the room, looking for a familiar blond head.

Ah, there he was.

Thor was looking a little strained, clearly trying to avoid being made to dance by Balder, who was demonstrating his disapproval of this decision through enthusiastic voguing.

But, my, didn't he look handsome with his hair tied back and deep blue suit, the jacket casually hung over the back of his chair?

He was firmly pushing Balder towards a pretty young woman who seemed to have colour co-ordinated her dress to match his pocket square. It screamed girlfriend. As she dragged Balder onto the dance floor, Loki took his chance to pounce, crossing the room quickly and running a finger down Thor's spine.

"Buy me a drink, stranger?"

Thor turned round in surprise, grinning immediately.

"That's the best suggestion I've heard all day."

Sanctuary. They ended up huddled together in a relatively quiet corner, giggling like children breaking the rules.

"You look incredible," Thor said. "Where did you get this outfit?"

"Internet. You keep leaving your accounts signed in. I figured I could justify surprising you and crashing a wedding reception. You don't mind, do you?"

"I can't believe you went to so much effort."

"Effort? No, I just thought I'd swan on down, look around, see if I could find an attractive man to take care of me..."

"And have you?"

"Well, I've found a very likely candidate."

Thor's joy was palpable. Maybe it was the happy occasion, the surroundings, the pleasure of being genuinely surprised, whatever, he was visibly ecstatic. To be the creator of such happiness couldn't help but make Loki grin.

They stayed at the reception maybe an hour longer, changing the story of who exactly Loki was with every person who enquired. At one point, Loki definitely saw Frigga looking at him curiously but not unkindly, as if she knew he had a connection to her son somehow. She clearly asked her husband for his opinion as Odin made eye contact briefly before shrugging. It felt like a blessing though. Not that Thor noticed. He had eyes for no-one else. As it should be.

"I, er... I actually have a present for you up in my room."

"Thor Odinson, are you trying to lure me into your bed?"

He couldn't even finish the sentence without laughing.

"Well, I'm just thinking that I have a gift for you and I have all the necessary things we might require for a night of passion..."

"A whole night? You spoil me so. But I do like presents."

"I certainly hope you'll like this one."

It wasn't hard to slip away. The corridors were deserted and Loki took the opportunity to shove Thor up against a wall and kiss him breathless, both of them anxious to get inside.

Loki was ready to start shedding his clothes, but had only got out of his jacket when Thor turned to him with a small wrapped box in his hands, at which point Loki froze.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Open it and see."


	28. Chapter 28

His hands were shaking as he took the box from Thor.

"I... I can't do this, Thor. I'm sorry, I can't. I don't exist, not legally, so I can't. And anyway, it'll never stay on when I shift. Fingers and toe-beans are not the same..."

Thor blinked for a moment and then laughed.

"Just open it."

"Thor..."

"It's not what you think, I promise."

Still unsure, Loki carefully peeled open the paper and regarded the box uncertainly before looking inside.

And then he gasped.

A smooth, silver disk, with his name on it in neat punched script. It shone, so beautifully.

"A new tag?"

And now Thor was approaching, coming to wrap his arms around Loki's waist from behind.

"Turn it over," he murmured, kissing Loki's hair.

Loki took a deep breath and flipped it.

Thor's surname and mobile number stared back at him.

"Just... You know, in case you were ever out as a cat and someone found you," Thor said. "A really clear contact number. I... Sorry if I'm saying this wrong, but I want to give you a forever home, Loki. I want you to belong with me. For as long as you want."

It was too much. It was all too much. Oh, he had no plans to leave Thor, but coming so soon after last night's little slip made it a little overwhelming.

"Is... Is that OK?"

"Yes," Loki said, trying not to sniffle. "It's more than OK, it's... Yeah. I'm... Thank you. Help me put it on?"

He'd never let anyone take off his collar before. Not even as briefly as this. And even though Thor had touched and kissed and marked his neck lots of times, there was something about this feeling, the undoing and re-doing and the cold feeling of the new loop.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. And I... You, er..."

He felt Thor chuckle.

"You don't have to say it. It's alright. I know."

Loki spun in his grasp and kissed him, hard, arms looping around Thor's waist to pull him closer when closer wasn't nearly close enough. His fingers fumbled at the buttons and zips, trying to go too fast and realising that he hadn't done anything to undress himself.

"Mmph... Mm, kitten, slow down."

"No."

He tried to tackle Thor onto the bed, only managing to shove him, but his intent was fairly obvious and Thor obediently lay down.

"Where's the lube?" Loki asked breathlessly.

"In the bathroom."

Loki sprinted for it, shedding his new clothes as he went. They could be hung up properly later. There was Thor's washbag, the pump bottle obvious. But there was no sign of condoms.

"Protection?"

There was a pause.

"That's why I wanted you to slow down," Thor said. "I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and... If you want we can try going without."

"What about me, though? It's not like I can sign up to a doctor."

He walked back through from the bathroom, trying to remain sensible and not immediately leap on naked and hardening Thor.

"Well, I'll go again in a few months and if I haven't caught anything then... Then we know you're definitely clean. I think the risks are manageable. I've thought it through and I... I want to. If you want to. And I can go get some if you'd prefer."

Loki crawled onto the bed, up Thor's body and brought their lips together again.

"No," he said when they broke apart. "That would delay the main event far too much."

Thor looked at him, eyes bright with want.

"Can I do the prep? I want to feel you clench around my fingers."

Loki wasn't sure that what Thor did to him was preparation strictly speaking. It felt a lot more like a deep fingering, gentle but firm, making him keen and cry out and leak.

"Fuck..." he breathed. "Oh, fuck, Thor, you need to get in me or I'll come..."

"One day I'll do that. Just make you come over and over and over..."

Loki whimpered, reaching for him and dragging him up for kisses, gasping as Thor reached down and lined up, pushing in.

He'd asked for hard, rough even, and Thor was complying, rocking gently to let him get used to being full and then thrusting in deep.

"Like that?"

"Just like that. Oh, Thor..."

He was overwhelmed, and even that was an understatement. He was probably disturbing the people in the next room, but he didn't care and Thor was clearly enjoying his cries.

But he was stroking him too, running fingers through his hair so gently, kissing his neck, whispering something that sounded suspiciously like saccharine sweet confessions.

"You close, kitten?"

He hadn't thought he was, but now it seemed like he was going to explode, trying to force his hand down between them.

"Can I come inside you?"

"Yes... Oh, fuck, yes. Do it."

Thor knocked his hand away and wrapped one of his own around Loki's twitching cock, making him scream with it.

"Come on, Loki. You know I love to see it, need to see you come..."

Loki wailed, back arching and hands scrabbling at the sheets as he spilled. He moaned, just on the very edge of too much as Thor thrust deep into him a few more times, and gasped at the feeling of his climax, so hot inside.

Oh, he wanted to feel that again. As soon as possible.

But Thor was coaxing kisses from his lax lips, touching him reverently and easing out. Even the sensation of leaking was pleasant somehow.

"I meant it, you know," Thor said. "I love you. I hope I didn't say it too fast."

"No, er... Me too. I love you. And thank you. For everything."

Thor refused to let him go shower, holding him close throughout the night. Maybe they could go again before it was time for breakfast.

Loki thumbed gently at his new tag. A forever home with Thor. Yes. That sounded wonderful.

He snuggled into Thor's embrace and purred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. (And well done to everyone who guessed what was in the box!)
> 
> Didn't expect this to get the response it did, but I'm honoured that you took the time to read it or to leave me a little note or some kudos. It really does make it worth it, so thank you!


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